Ice nucleation by kaolinite: Morphology shapes the size dependence of ice nucleation active sites on dust particles
- 1Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
Abstract
Mineral dusts are the most important type of ice-nucleating particles and play a key role in cloud formation and climate. Their activity is commonly assumed to scale with particle surface area, yet whether this assumption holds across particle sizes remains unverified. Here, we quantify size-dependent ice nucleation activity using compositionally pure, size-segregated kaolinite (KGa-1b). Ice nucleation active site (INAS) densities were determined for size classes from submicron to 48 μm, revealing two distinct ice-nucleation regimes. At low temperatures (∼240 K), INAS density per surface area is independent of particle size. In contrast, at warm temperatures (∼260 K), particles of 6 to 12 μm exhibit the highest INAS densities, up to two orders of magnitude greater than smaller particles and nonsize-selected bulk samples. Linking these results to particle morphology indicates that well-aligned, multilayered platelet edges provide the continuous hydroxylated surfaces required for efficient ice nucleation. Our findings demonstrate that morphology can modulate particle size-dependent ice nucleation, highlighting limitations of simple surface area-based parameterizations.
Related
- Fluctuation-Driven Nucleation in Controlled Rate-and-State Friction: A Large-Deviation Approach
- Self-arresting and runaway earthquakes: Nucleation, propagation, Gutenberg-Richter law, and dragon-king events
- Homogeneous ice nucleation from water vapour suggested by elongated clouds on Mars
- The Ultimate Icebreaker: The Rhagium mordax Antifreeze Protein as a Universal Ice Nucleation Inhibitor
- A Hidden Acid–Base Ion Pair Scaffolds Organic-Rich Atmospheric Nucleation
BibTeX
@article{song2026nucleation,
title = {{Ice nucleation by kaolinite: Morphology shapes the size dependence of ice nucleation active sites on dust particles}},
author = {Yuhang Song and Claudia Marcolli and Jie Chen and Ulrike Lohmann},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeg1206},
url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg1206},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ice nucleation by kaolinite: Morphology shapes the size dependence of ice nucleation active sites on dust particles
AU - Yuhang Song
AU - Claudia Marcolli
AU - Jie Chen
AU - Ulrike Lohmann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aeg1206
UR - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg1206
AB - Mineral dusts are the most important type of ice-nucleating particles and play a key role in cloud formation and climate. Their activity is commonly assumed to scale with particle surface area, yet whether this assumption holds across particle sizes remains unverified. Here, we quantify size-dependent ice nucleation activity using compositionally pure, size-segregated kaolinite (KGa-1b). Ice nucleation active site (INAS) densities were determined for size classes from submicron to 48 μm, revealing two distinct ice-nucleation regimes. At low temperatures (∼240 K), INAS density per surface area is independent of particle size. In contrast, at warm temperatures (∼260 K), particles of 6 to 12 μm exhibit the highest INAS densities, up to two orders of magnitude greater than smaller particles and nonsize-selected bulk samples. Linking these results to particle morphology indicates that well-aligned, multilayered platelet edges provide the continuous hydroxylated surfaces required for efficient ice nucleation. Our findings demonstrate that morphology can modulate particle size-dependent ice nucleation, highlighting limitations of simple surface area-based parameterizations.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -