Unravelling the origins of ice nucleation on organic crystals.

ABSTRACT: Organic molecules such as steroids or amino acids form crystals that can facilitate the formation of ice - arguably the most important phase transition on earth. However, the origin of the ice nucleating ability of organic crystals is still largely unknown. Here, we combine experiments and simulations to unravel the microscopic details of ice formation on cholesterol, a prototypical organic crystal widely used in cryopreservation. We find that cholesterol - which is also a substantial component of cell membranes - is an ice nucleating agent more potent than many inorganic substrates, including the mineral feldspar (one of the most active ice nucleating materials in the atmosphere). Scanning electron microscopy measurements reveal a variety of morphological features on the surfaces of chole

SUBMITTER: Sosso GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6238755 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature