Critical droplet theory explains the glass formability of aqueous solutions.

ABSTRACT

When pure water is cooled at ~10(6) K / s, it forms an amorphous solid (glass) instead of the more familiar crystalline phase. The presence of solutes can reduce this required (or "critical") cooling rate by orders of magnitude. Here, we present critical cooling rates for a variety of solutes as a function of concentration and a theoretical framework for understanding these rates. For all solutes tested, the critical cooling rate is an exponential function of concentration. The exponential's characteristic concentration for each solute correlates with the solute's Stokes radius. A modification of critical droplet theory relates the characteristic concentration to the solute radius and the critical nucleation radius of ice in pure water. This simple theory of ice nucleation and glass formability in aqueous solutions has consequences for general glass-forming systems, and in cryobiology, cloud physics, and climate modeling.