Heterogeneous ice nucleation on silver-iodide-like surfaces

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to explore how ice nucleates on silver-iodide surfaces, revealing that ice readily forms on Ag+ terminated faces but not on I- terminated or other faces, due to molecular adsorption patterns.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates the specific conditions and surface terminations that facilitate or hinder heterogeneous ice nucleation on silver-iodide-like surfaces.

Findings

Ice nucleation occurs readily on Ag+ terminated faces.

Water strongly adsorbs and forms an ice-like bilayer on Ag+ surfaces.

Nucleation does not occur on I- terminated or prism faces.

Abstract

We attempt to simulate the heterogeneous nucleation of ice at model silver-iodide surfaces and find relatively facile ice nucleation and growth at the Ag+ termi nated basal face, but never see nucleation at the I- terminated basal face or the prism and normal faces. Water molecules strongly adsorb onto the Ag+ terminate d face to give a well-ordered hexagonal ice-like bilayer that then acts as a template for further ice growth.