Anti-freezing behaviour is the ability of a material or a solution to remain functional below the freezing point of water, and in soft materials it is usually achieved with a cryoprotectant or a mixed solvent. Adding a salt, a polyol, or an organic solvent lowers the freezing point and disrupts the growth of ice crystals [1]. An organohydrogel replaces part of the water with glycerol or ethylene glycol, which lowers the freezing point and keeps the ionic conductivity usable at sub-zero temperatures [2]. This matters for flexible sensors and for batteries that must operate outdoors in winter [3]. A second route is to introduce an antifreeze protein or a zwitterionic group that inhibits ice nucleation rather than depressing the melting point [4]. The added solvent changes the mechanical properties and can evaporate over time, so the stability of the effect over repeated freeze-thaw cycles has to be demonstrated [5].
- cryoprotectant
- organohydrogel
- freezing point depression
- ice nucleation
- antifreeze protein
- sub-zero conductivity
- zwitterionic
Chemical and Physical Properties in Aqueous Solutions·Filtration and Separation·Chemical Engineering·Physical Sciences
References
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