Ice Interface Morphology and Texture Developed during Freezing

The freezing of pure water and several aqueous solutions has been studied by a direct observation technique. The solid-liquid interface morphology and crystal texture produced during the freezing of water were studied. For the aqueous solutions two families of knife-edged cells formed, one parallel to the basal plane and one parallel to the c axis. Two preferred crystal textures were observed, corresponding to the two cell families being aligned with the direction of heat flow. For the freezing of pure water, the same two textures were observed; however, the explanation for their occurrence is quite different. Theoretical explanations have been given for all of the texture results and the differences between these results and those found by other investigators.