Nanometer-thick crystalline ice plates in rapidly-frozen glucose solution observed by spin-contrast-variation small-angle neutron scattering

Kumada, Takayuki   ; Nakagawa, Hiroshi   ; Miura, Daisuke; Sekine, Yurina   ; Motokawa, Ryuhei   ; Hiroi, Kosuke  ; Inamura, Yasuhiro  ; Oku, Takayuki   ; Oishi, Kazuki*; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; Kawamura, Yukihiko*; Kawai, Kiyoshi*

Spin-contrast-variation (SCV) small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) enabled us to determine structure of nano-ice crystals that were generated in rapidly frozen sugar solution. In the frozen glucose solution, we found that the nano-ice crystals formed a planar structure with a radius larger than several tens of nanometers and a thickness of 2-3 nm, which was close to the critical nucleation size of ice crystals in supercooled water. This result suggests that the glucose molecules were preferentially bound to a specific face of nano-ice crystals, and then blocked the crystal growth perpendicular to that face.