Title

Ice nucleation at the contact line triggered by transient electrowetting fields

Authors

Fan Yang, Michigan Technological University
Raymond Shaw, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Colin Gurganus, Michigan Technological University
Su Kong Chong, Michigan Technological University
Yoke Khin Yap, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2015

Abstract

Supercooled water is found to have a significantly enhanced freezing temperature during transient electrowetting with electric fields of order 1 V/μm. High speed imaging reveals that the nucleation occurs randomly at the three-phase contact line (droplet perimeter) and can occur at multiple points during one freezing event. Possible nucleation mechanisms are explored by testing various substrate geometries and materials. Results demonstrate that electric field alone has no detectable effect on ice nucleation, but the moving boundary of the droplet on the substrate due to electrowetting is associated with the triggering of nucleation at a much higher temperature.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4938749

Publication Title

Applied Physics Letters

Recommended Citation

Yang, F., Shaw, R., Gurganus, C., Chong, S. K., & Yap, Y. K. (2015). Ice nucleation at the contact line triggered by transient electrowetting fields. Applied Physics Letters, 107(26), 264101. http://doi.org/10.1063/1.4938749
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/physics-fp/293

Version

Publisher's PDF