Homogeneous ice nucleation from supercooled water

Homogeneous ice nucleation from supercooled water was studied in the temperature range of 220-240 K through combining the forward flux sampling method (Allen et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2006, 124, 024102) with molecular dynamics simulations (FFS/MD), based on a recently developed coarse-grained water model (mW) (Molinero et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2009, 113, 4008). The calculated ice nucleation rates display a strong temperature dependence, ranging from 2.148 ± 0.635 × 10(25) m(-3) s(-1) at 220 K to 1.672 ± 0.970 × 10(-7) m(-3) s(-1) at 240 K. These rates can be fitted according to the classical nucleation theory, yielding an estimate of the effective ice-water interface energy γ(ls) of 31.01 ± 0.21 mJ m(-2) for the mW water model. Compared to experiments, our calculation underestimates the homogeneous ice nucleation rate by a few orders of magnitude. Possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed. The nucleating ice embryo contains both cubic ice Ic and hexagonal ice Ih, with the fraction of each structure being roughly 50% when the critical size is reached. In particular, a novel defect structure containing nearly five-fold twin boundaries is identified in the ice clusters formed during nucleation. The way such defect structure is formed is found to be different from mechanisms proposed for the formation of the same defect in metallic nanoparticles and thin film. The quasi five-fold twin boundary structure found here is expected to occur in the crystallization of a wide range of materials with the diamond cubic structure, including ice.     

The Raman spectrum of amorphous and crystalline solid carbon disulphide

Raman spectra of solid CS₂ were investigated between 13 and 90 K. Upon deposition, the spectra show the coexistence of crystalline and amorphous solids. The latter is eliminated through annealing. For the crystal, temperature effects on the lattice modes, ν₁, ν₂ and 2ν₂ bands, are reported. The secondary structure of the overtone is attributed to crystal-field effects.     

Sticking of CO to crystalline and amorphous ice surfaces

We present results of classical trajectory calculations on the sticking of hyperthermal CO to the basal plane (0001) face of crystalline ice Ih and to the surface of amorphous ice Ia. The calculations were performed for normal incidence at a surface temperature Ts = 90 K for ice Ia, and at Ts = 90 and 150 K for ice Ih. For both surfaces, the sticking probability can be fitted to a simple exponentially decaying function of the incidence energy, Ei: Ps = 1.0e(-Ei(kJ/mol)/90(kJ/mol)) at Ts = 90 K. The energy transfer from the impinging molecule to the crystalline and the amorphous surface is found to be quite efficient, in agreement with the results of molecular beam experiments on the scattering of the similar molecule, N2, from crystalline and amorphous ice. However, the energy transfer is less efficient for amorphous than for crystalline ice. Our calculations predict that the sticking probability decreases with Ts for CO scattering from crystalline ice, as the energy transfer from the impinging molecule to the warmer surfaces becomes less efficient. At high Ei (up to 193 kJ/mol), no surface penetration occurs in the case of crystalline ice. However, for CO colliding with the amorphous surface, a penetrating trajectory was observed to occur into a large water pore. The molecular dynamics calculations predict that the average potential energy of CO adsorbed to ice Ih is -10.1 +/- 0.2 and -8.4 +/- 0.2 kJ/mol for CO adsorbed to ice Ia. These values are in agreement with previous experimental and theoretical data. The distribution of the potential energy of CO adsorbed to ice Ia was found to be wider (with a standard deviation sigma of 2.4 kJ/mol) than that of CO interacting with ice Ih (sigma = 2.0 kJ/mol). In collisions with ice Ia, the CO molecules scatter at larger angles and over a wider distribution of angles than in collisions with ice Ih.     

Investigating the effects of solid surfaces on ice nucleation

Understanding the role played by solid surfaces in ice nucleation is a significant step toward designing anti-icing surfaces. However, the uncontrollable impurities in water and surface heterogeneities remain a great challenge for elucidating the effects of surfaces on ice nucleation. Via a designed process of evaporation, condensation, and subsequent ice formation in a closed cell, we investigate the ice nucleation of ensembles of condensed water microdroplets on flat, solid surfaces with completely different wettabilities. The water microdroplets formed on flat, solid surfaces by an evaporation and condensation process exclude the uncontrollable impurities in water, and the effects of surface heterogeneities can be minimized through studying the freezing of ensembles of separate and independent water microdroplets. It is found that the normalized surface ice nucleation rate on a hydrophilic surface is about 1 order of magnitude lower than that on a hydrophobic surface. This is ascribed to the difference in the viscosity of interfacial water and the surface roughness.     

The infrared spectra of amorphous solid water and ice Ic between 10 and 140 K

Absorption spectra from 4000 to 1200 cm^?1 of amorphous solid water and polycrystalline ice I_c have been measured between 10 K and 140 K. Warm up and recooling of an H₂O sample prepared at 10 K gives rise to both irreversible and reversible changes in the peak frequency, band width, and peak height as well as the integrated intensity of the OH stretching band. These spectral effects are related to structural differences. The structure of amorphous solid water also depends on deposition conditions. The optical constants of amorphous so water are determined at 10 K and 80 K from a Kramers-Kronig analysis of the transmission spectra taking into account reflection and interference losses. The astrophysical implication of the temperature dependence of peak frequency and band width of the 3250 cm^?1 band in amorphous solid water is discussed briefly.     

Dynamics of ice nucleation on water repellent surfaces

Prevention of ice accretion and adhesion on surfaces is relevant to many applications, leading to improved operation safety, increased energy efficiency, and cost reduction. Development of passive nonicing coatings is highly desirable, since current antiicing strategies are energy and cost intensive. Superhydrophobicity has been proposed as a lead passive nonicing strategy, yet the exact mechanism of delayed icing on these surfaces is not clearly understood. In this work, we present an in-depth analysis of ice formation dynamics upon water droplet impact on surfaces with different wettabilities. We experimentally demonstrate that ice nucleation under low-humidity conditions can be delayed through control of surface chemistry and texture. Combining infrared (IR) thermometry and high-speed photography, we observe that the reduction of water-surface contact area on superhydrophobic surfaces plays a dual role in delaying nucleation: first by reducing heat transfer and second by reducing the probability of heterogeneous nucleation at the water-substrate interface. This work also includes an analysis (based on classical nucleation theory) to estimate various homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation rates in icing situations. The key finding is that ice nucleation delay on superhydrophobic surfaces is more prominent at moderate degrees of supercooling, while closer to the homogeneous nucleation temperature, bulk and air-water interface nucleation effects become equally important. The study presented here offers a comprehensive perspective on the efficacy of textured surfaces for nonicing applications.     

Cyanoacetylene adsorption on amorphous and crystalline water ice films: investigation through matrix isolation and quantum study.

The structure and energy properties of the 1:1 complexes formed between cyanoacetylene and H2O (D2O) are investigated using FT-IR matrix isolation spectroscopy and ab initio calculations at the MP2/ 6-31G(d,p) level. Cyanoacetylene adsorption and desorption on amorphous ice film are monitored by FT-IR using the temperature-programmed desorption method. In an argon matrix, two types of 1:1 complexes are observed. The first one corresponds to the NH structure, which involves a hydrogen bond with the terminal nitrogen of cyanoacetylene. The second corresponds to the HO form, which involves a hydrogen bond from the cyanoacetylene to the oxygen of water. This last complex is the more stable (DeltaE = -8.1 kJ/mol.). As obtained in argon matrixes, two kinds of adsorption site are observed between HC3N and ice. The first one, stable between 25 and 45 K is characterized by a nu(OH) shift similar to the one observed in matrix for the NH complex. The second, stable at higher temperatures (between 45 and 110 K), corresponds to an interaction with the dangling oxygen site of ice and is similar to the HO complex observed in matrix. From theoretical calculations (DFT method combined with a plane wave basis set and ultrasoft pseudopotentials), it is shown that, for this adsorption site, the HC3N moiety is flattened on the ice surface and stabilized by a long-distance interaction ( approximately 3 A) between one dangling OH and the pi system of the C triple bond C triple bond. The HC3N desorption occurs between 110 and 140 K, and the associated desorption energy is 39 kJ/mol. This value is in good agreement with the first principle calculation based on density functional theory and ultrasoft pseudopotentials (34 kJ/mol). These calculations confirm the electrostatic nature of the interaction forces. A small amount of cyanoacetylene is incorporated into the bulk and desorbs at the onset of the ice crystallization near 145 K. In these two kinds of experiments, HC3N acts as both an electrophilic and a nucleophilic molecule.     

Interaction of methanol with amorphous solid water

The interaction of methanol (MeOH) with amorphous solid water (ASW) composed of D2O molecules, prepared at 125 K on a polycrystalline Ag substrate, was studied with metastable-impact-electron spectroscopy, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption mass spectroscopy. In connection with the experiments, classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed on a single CH3OH molecule adsorbed at the ice surface (T=190 K), providing further insights into the binding and adsorption properties of the molecule at the ice surface. Consistently with the experimental deductions and previous studies, MeOH is found to adsorb with the hydroxyl group pointing toward dangling bonds of the ice surface, the CH3 group being oriented upwards, slightly tilted with respect to the surface normal. It forms the toplayer up to the onset of the simultaneous desorption of D2O and MeOH. At low coverage the adsorption is dominated by the formation of two strong hydrogen bonds as evidenced by the MD results. During the buildup of the first methanol layer on top of an ASW film the MeOH-MeOH interaction via hydrogen-bond formation becomes of importance as well. The interaction of D2O with solid methanol films and the codeposition of MeOH and D2O were also investigated experimentally; these experiments showed that D2O molecules supplied to a solid methanol film become embedded into the film.     

Structural and dynamic features of water and amorphous ice

Structural properties and microscopic dynamics of water and amorphous ice have been studied by the molecular dynamics method. It has been found that the distribution function of the tetrahedricity parameter exhibits two ranges, which correspond to local molecular formations with low and high degrees of tetrahedricity. The number of molecular clusters with a high degree of tetrahedricity grows as temperature decreases. It has been shown that the vibrational density of states comprises two vibrational modes. A low-frequency vibrational mode strongly depends on pressure and is almost independent of temperature, while a high-frequency mode is relevant to the pressure-independent heat motion of molecules. The geometric criterion of hydrogen bonds has been used to evaluate their continuous lifetime as depending on temperature for molecules with different coordination values. The average lifetime of a hydrogen bond substantially depends on the coordination of molecules, with the temperature dependence of the coordination obeying the activation dynamics.     

Photo ejection of water molecules from amorphous ice films

Water molecules are photo-ejected upon laser irradiation from the surface of ice films grown on graphite (0001) and Pt(111). The films are deposited at temperatures between 40 and 140 K and irradiated with nanosecond laser pulses. The process is investigated in the wavelength range between 275 and 670 nm. The wavelength and photon flux dependence suggest a multi-photon process with energy threshold of around 9 eV. The photo-detachment is less effective or negligible from films annealed at temperatures above the amorphous-crystalline transition temperature of ice films. Coverage dependence of the phenomena relates the photo yield to surface roughness. Electronic excitation mechanism related to the defects in ice is proposed to explain the observations.     

Dewetting of thin amorphous solid water films and liquid-cubic ice coexistence in droplets studied using infrared-absorption and secondary-ion-mass spectroscopy

The infrared absorption band of decoupled OD stretching vibration (4 mol% HOD in 20-monolayer H 2O) of amorphous solid water is red-shifted and sharpened at around 160 K because of spontaneous nucleation. The crystal grows in a fluidized liquid that forms droplets on a Ni(111) substrate. The shape change and red-shift of a coupled OH band during crystallization are elucidated by a Mie particle scattering model, indicating that nanometer-size droplets are formed preferentially. The spontaneous nucleation at 160 K is bypassed when amorphous solid water is deposited on a crystallized water film; the crystals grow around nuclei at ca. 150 K, resulting in larger crystal grains that do not cause Mie scattering. However, the crystal grains behave like viscous droplets because their morphology changes continuously after the completion of crystallization. The coexisting liquid-like water is indistinguishable from cubic ice in local structure. This behavior resembles that of a quasiliquid formed during premelting.     

Heterogeneous ice nucleation in aqueous solutions: the role of water activity

Heterogeneous ice nucleation experiments have been performed with four different ice nuclei (IN), namely nonadecanol, silica, silver iodide and Arizona test dust. All IN are either immersed in the droplets or located at the droplets surface. The IN were exposed to various aqueous solutions, which consist of (NH4)2SO4, H2SO4, MgCl2, NaCl, LiCl, Ca(NO3)2, K2CO3, CH3COONa, ethylene glycol, glycerol, malonic acid, PEG300 or a NaCl/malonic acid mixture. Freezing was studied using a differential scanning calorimeter and a cold finger cell. The results show that the heterogeneous ice freezing temperatures decrease with increasing solute concentration; however, the magnitude of this effect is solute dependent. In contrast, when the results are analyzed in terms of the solution water activity a very consistent behavior emerges: heterogeneous ice nucleation temperatures for all four IN converge each onto a single line, irrespective of the nature of the solute. We find that a constant offset with respect to the ice melting point curve, Deltaaw,het, can describe the observed freezing temperatures for each IN. Such a behavior is well-known for homogeneous ice nucleation from supercooled liquid droplets and has led to the development of water-activity-based ice nucleation theory. The large variety of investigated solutes together with different general types of ice nuclei studied (monolayers, ionic crystals, covalently bound network-forming compounds, and a mixture of chemically different crystallites) underlines the general applicability of water-activity-based ice nucleation theory also for heterogeneous ice nucleation in the immersion mode. Finally, the ice nucleation efficiencies of the various IN, as well as the atmospheric implication of the developed parametrization are discussed.     

The photodissociative ionization of amorphous ice

Within the energy range 17 hv < 35 eV, the ionic species desorbed and their excitation spectra are reported. The only positive ion desorbed is H⁺. A model for the surface is suggested which explains the absence of OH⁺ desorption. The desorption mechanisms are discussed in terms of an energy analysis.     

Electron-stimulated production of molecular oxygen in amorphous solid water

The low-energy, electron-stimulated production of molecular oxygen from pure amorphous solid water (ASW) films and ASW films codosed with H(2)O(2) is investigated. Layered films of H(2)(16)O and H(2)(18)O are used to investigate the reaction mechanisms for O(2) production and the spatial profile of the reactions within the films. The O(2) yield is dose-dependent, indicating that precursors are involved in the O(2) production. For temperatures below approximately 80 K, the O(2) yield at steady state is relatively low and nearly independent of temperature. At higher temperatures, the yield increases rapidly. The O(2) yield is enhanced from H(2)O(2)-dosed water films, but the experiments show that H(2)O(2) is not the final precursor in the reactions leading to O(2). Instead, a stable precursor for O(2) is produced through a multistep reaction sequence probably involving the reactions of OH radicals to produce H(2)O(2) and then HO(2). The O(2) is produced in a nonthermal reaction from the HO(2). For relatively thick films, the reactions leading to O(2) occur at or near the ASW/vacuum interface. However, the electronic excitations that initiate the reactions occur over a larger range in the film. A kinetic model that qualitatively accounts for all of the observations is presented.     

Photochemistry of ethyl chloride caged in amorphous solid water

Caging and photo-induced decomposition of ethyl chloride molecules (EC) within a layer of amorphous solid water (ASW) on top of clean and oxygen-covered Ru(001) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions are presented. The caged molecules were estimated to reside 1.5 +/- 0.2 nm above the solid surface, based on parent molecule thermal decomposition on the clean ruthenium. Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) of the caged molecules following 193 nm laser irradiation, result in initial fragmentation to ethyl radical and chloride anion. It was found that photoreactivity on top of the clean ruthenium surface (Ru) is twenty times faster than on the oxygen-covered surface (O/Ru), with DEA cross sections: sigma(Ru) = (3.8 +/- 1) x 10(-19) cm(2) and sigma(O/Ru) = (2.1 +/- 0.3) x 10(-20) cm(2). This difference is attributed to the higher work function of oxygen-covered ruthenium, leading to smaller electron attachment probability due to mismatch of the ruthenium photo-electron energy with the adsorbed EC excited electron affinity levels. EC molecules fragmented within the cage, result in post-irradiation TPD spectra that reveal primarily C(4)H(8), C(3)H(5) and C(3)H(3), without any oxygen-containing molecules. Unique stabilization of the photoproducts has been observed with the first layer of water molecules in direct contact with the substrate, desorbing near 180 K, a significantly higher temperature than the desorption of fully caged molecules. This study may contribute for understanding stratospheric photochemistry and processes in interstellar space.     

Molecular-dynamics study of photodissociation of water in crystalline and amorphous ices

We present the results of classical dynamics calculations performed to study the photodissociation of water in crystalline and amorphous ice surfaces at a surface temperature of 10 K. A modified form of a recently developed potential model for the photodissociation of a water molecule in ice [S. Andersson et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 408, 415 (2005)] is used. Dissociation in the top six monolayers is considered. Desorption of H(2)O has a low probability (less than 0.5% yield per absorbed photon) for both types of ice. The final outcome strongly depends on the original position of the photodissociated molecule. For molecules in the first bilayer of crystalline ice and the corresponding layers in amorphous ice, desorption of H atoms dominates. In the second bilayer H atom desorption, trapping of the H and OH fragments in the ice, and recombination of H and OH are of roughly equal importance. Deeper into the ice H atom desorption becomes less important and trapping and recombination dominate. Motion of the photofragments is somewhat more restricted in amorphous ice. The distribution of distances traveled by H atoms in the ice peaks at 6-7 Angstroms with a tail going to about 60 Angstroms for both types of ice. The mobility of OH radicals is low within the ice with most probable distances traveled of 2 and 1 Angstrom for crystalline and amorphous ices, respectively. OH is, however, quite mobile on top of the surface, where it has been found to travel more than 80 Angstroms. Simulated absorption spectra of crystalline ice, amorphous ice, and liquid water are found to be in very good agreement with the experiments. The outcomes of photodissociation in crystalline and amorphous ices are overall similar, but with some intriguing differences in detail. The probability of H atoms desorbing is 40% higher from amorphous than from crystalline ice and the kinetic-energy distribution of the H atoms is on average 30% hotter for amorphous ice. In contrast, the probability of desorption of OH radicals from crystalline ice is much higher than that from amorphous ice.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of quasi-two-dimensional water clusters on ice nucleation protein

We performed molecular dynamics simulations of systems that consisted of the ice nucleation protein and the quasi-two-dimensional water cluster on it. The angle distributions, percolation probabilities, mean cluster sizes, cluster size distributions, and hydrogen bond relaxation times were analyzed. We concluded that the behavior of the water clusters on the ice nucleation protein was elaborately intertwined by the interaction between the ice nucleation protein and water, the interaction between the water molecules and the effect of temperature. The percolation probability and mean cluster size depended on the interactions and temperatures.     

Release of hydrogen molecules from the photodissociation of amorphous solid water and polycrystalline ice at 157 and 193 nm

The production of H(2) in highly excited vibrational and rotational states (v=0-5, J=0-17) from the 157 nm photodissociation of amorphous solid water ice films at 100 K was observed directly using resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization. Weaker signals from H(2)(v=2,3 and 4) were obtained from 157 nm photolysis of polycrystalline ice, but H(2)(v=0 and 1) populations in this case were below the detection limit. The H(2) products show two distinct formation mechanisms. Endothermic abstraction of a hydrogen atom from H(2)O by a photolytically produced H atom yields vibrationally cold H(2) products, whereas exothermic recombination of two H-atom photoproducts yields H(2) molecules with a highly excited vibrational distribution and non-Boltzmann rotational population distributions as has been predicted previously by both quantum-mechanical and molecular dynamics calculations.