title: Time-Lapse, in Situ Imaging of Ice Crystal Growth Using Confocal Microscopy.
abstract: Ice crystals nucleate and grow when a water solution is cooled below its freezing point. The growth velocities and morphologies of the ice crystals depend on many parameters, such as the temperature of ice growth, the melting temperature, and the interactions of solutes with the growing crystals. Three types of morphologies may appear: dendritic, cellular (or fingerlike), or the faceted equilibrium form. Understanding and controlling which type of morphology is formed is essential in several domains, from biology to geophysics and materials science. Obtaining, in situ, three dimensional observations without introducing artifacts due to the experimental technique is nevertheless challenging. Here we show how we can use laser scanning confocal microscopy to follow in real-time the growth of smoothed and faceted ice crystals in zirconium acetate solutions. Both qualitative and quantitative observations can be made. In particular, we can precisely measure the lateral growth velocity of the crystals, a measure otherwise difficult to obtain. Such observations should help us understand the influence of the parameters that control the growth of ice crystals in various systems.
authors.affiliation: Ceramics Synthesis and Functionalization Lab, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain , 550 Avenue Alphonse Jauffret, 84306 Cavaillon, France.
authors.forename: Moreno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcellini
authors.affiliation: Ceramics Synthesis and Functionalization Lab, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain , 550 Avenue Alphonse Jauffret, 84306 Cavaillon, France.
authors.forename: Cecile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noirjean
authors.affiliation: Ceramics Synthesis and Functionalization Lab, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain , 550 Avenue Alphonse Jauffret, 84306 Cavaillon, France.
authors.forename: Dmytro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dedovets
authors.affiliation: Ceramics Synthesis and Functionalization Lab, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain , 550 Avenue Alphonse Jauffret, 84306 Cavaillon, France.
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maria
authors.affiliation: Ceramics Synthesis and Functionalization Lab, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain , 550 Avenue Alphonse Jauffret, 84306 Cavaillon, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deville