An entropic theory of ice nucleation

What is it about?

Here we use simple thermodynamic scaling arguments to show that the size-dependent entropy of mixing dominates and predicts homogeneous nucleation behaviors in aqueous solutions, opening intriguing new doors towards entropic engineering of solutions with desired nucleation behaviors.

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Photo by erin mckenna on Unsplash

Photo by erin mckenna on Unsplash

Why is it important?

From cryopreservation to atmospheric science and beyond, understanding and manipulating the process of ice nucleation has the potential to drive fundamental new insights and applications. In this work we present a "non-specific" theory of ice nucleation in solutions, which is not particular to one solute molecule or another, and which only requires knowledge of the solute molar volumes to use. This combination of simplicity and accuracy may enable significant interrogation of processes involving ice nucleation through a new thermodynamic lens.