Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 20: Focus Session: Water – from Atmosphere to Space I (joint session CPP/DY)
DY 20.3: Talk
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 10:15–10:30, ZEU/LICH
Crystallization behaviour of nanoparticle suspensions — •Isabell Zick1,2, Eduard Edel2, and Katrin Amann-Winkel1,2 — 1Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany — 2Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Water is one of the most abundant substances in the world and due to this in close contact with many materials including micro- and nanoplastic particles. Those have been detected not only in sea but also in the atmosphere, where the particles can interact with water and act as cloud condensation nuclei or ice-nucleating particles. Emerging evidence suggests that nanoparticles with increased surface roughness or chemical functionalities may promote heterogeneous ice nucleation through different processes like, e.g., contact- and immersion-freezing. Such a behaviour affects cloud properties with significant implications for Earth*s radiative balance and the hydrological cycle.
We investigate atmospherically relevant nanoparticles dispersed in water to investigate their influence on the ice crystallization. Our experiments include calorimetry (DSC) as well as X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD). Our measurements show that the crystallization temperature depends on the particle size, concentration, and the chemical surface of the particles. Using XRD, we investigate the restructuring of the water molecules during supercooling, observed by a shift in the characteristic main diffraction peak of water and the subsequent crystallization process.
Keywords: Crystallization; Nanoparticles; X-ray diffraction; Calorimetry; Water