Effects of dipole polarization of water molecules on ice formation under an electrostatic field

Experiments were carried out to clarify the effects of an electrostatic field on ice formation. Distilled water was used as the test sample and was kept in a special container and cooled down to a constant temperature of -30 degrees C. The strength of the electrostatic field used in the experiments was in the range of 1.0 x 10(3)-1.0 x 10(5) V/m. The results indicated that the electrostatic field was capable of inducing nucleation in water supercooled at a relatively high temperature and raising the temperature of supercooling by up to 1.6 degrees C. The analysis indicated that dipole polarization of the water molecules by the electrostatic field is the primary factor in this phenomenon. Under an electrostatic field, water molecules have a tendency to align with the electrostatic field. Water molecules with dipole moments along the direction of the electrostatic field are the most stable, and have the maximum value for the Boltzmann distribution function. These properties are conducive to nucleation. A special method was used to determine the dependence of the phase transformation time on the application of an electrostatic field. It was found that the phase transformation time was unaffected by the application of an electrostatic field and only the supercooling temperature was affected. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.