2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Oscillatory growth of ice crystal induced by nonlinear process of interfacial kinetic-Direct verification by space experiments
| Project/Area Number |
25600081
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Crystal engineering
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
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| Keywords | 振動成長 / 結晶成長 / 氷結晶 / 不凍糖タンパク質 / 宇宙実験 / 微小重力 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
It is an astonishing fact that nobody has directly proved yet that oscillation in the growth rate occurs for any crystal. The main reason for this lack comes from the ineluctable fluctuation of growth rate generated by natural convection around the growing crystal.
Free growth experiments of ice crystals in supercooled water containing the antifreeze glycoprotein, which is a bio-macromolecule with a freezing-prevention function, were carried out under the nearby zero gravity condition realized in the International Space Station. From long-term measurements of growth rates using an interferometer, the direct evidence of periodic-oscillatory growth of the basal faces of ice crystals were obtained for the first time. This oscillation is probably driven by a novel kinetic process which relates the growth enhancement of the basal face to the adsorption of AFGP molecules, in conjunction with variations in interfacial supercooling.
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| Free Research Field |
結晶成長学
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