Homogeneous freezing of single sulfuric and nitric acid solution drops levitated in an acoustic trap

The freezing temperatures of single supercooled drops of binary and ternary sulfuric and nitric acid solutions were measured while varying the acid concentration. An acoustic levitator was used which allows to freely suspend single solution drops in air without electrical charges thereby avoiding any electrical influences which may affect the freezing process. The drops of typically 500 mu m in radius were monitored by a video camera during cooling cycles down to -85 degrees C to simulate the upper tropospheric and stratospheric temperature range. The present data confirm that liquid solution droplets can be supercooled far below the equilibrium melting point by approximately 35 degrees C. They follow the general trend of the expected freezing temperatures for homogeneous ice nucleation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.