Structural Change and Nucleation Characteristics of Water/Ice in Confined Geometry

The confinement of liquids in the restricted space of a mesoporous solid leads to significant changes in their properties. The main effect is a reduction in the nucleation temperature that, according to the Gibbs-Thomson formalism is inversely proportional to the pore size. Other effects on the liquid structure and transport properties also occur and depend on the detailed characteristics of the mesoporous material. Confined liquids occur in various situations, both in the natural environment and also in industrial processes, so that there is a growing interest in understanding the fundamental principles that govern the behaviour and modified characteristics.