Supercooled water undergoes rapid freezing when disturbed due to nucleation sites
Supercooled water remains in a liquid state below its freezing point until a disturbance or the introduction of nucleation sites triggers rapid crystallization.
The retrieved literature consistently supports the fundamental physical principle that supercooled water relies on nucleation sites (either heterogeneous particles or surface boundaries) to transition rapidly into ice when disturbed.
E. J. Langham, Basil John - Na5818 Mason. The heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation of supercooled water. 1958. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1958.0207
Paper 0 establishes that the freezing behavior of supercooled water droplets depends heavily on heterogeneous nucleation from foreign nuclei or aerosols.
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Li J, Wang W, Li C, Kuang L, Huang Z, Chen X, Guo Z, Liu K, Liu J. Anti-Icing Organogel Enables Quasi-Homogeneous Supercooling Preservation of Mouse Hearts.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202506968
Paper 5 notes that supercooled systems are susceptible to stochastic ice nucleation and that eliminating primary nucleation sites enables stable supercooling preservation.
El Kadi K, Murad S, Janajreh I. Ice crystallization kinetics in supercooled droplets from a molecular perspective.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2025.139192
Paper 8 describes surface-initiated freezing and nucleation dynamics in supercooled systems, demonstrating how mechanical and physical disturbances affect ice formation.
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