Work

Membrane electrolysis‐assisted cooling crystallization with in situ microbubbles for efficient nucleation regulation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Efficient nucleation regulation is crucial to the cooling crystallization control, which determines the final crystal characteristics. Herein, a membrane electrolysis‐assisted cooling crystallization (MEACC) by bubble‐mediated nucleation strategy is proposed. The fabricated conductive membrane can rapidly generate and release abundant in situ microbubbles, which subsequently trigger nearby fluid convection to intensify mass/heat transfer within the boundary layer, and achieve efficient induced nucleation and nucleus transport at the supercooled membrane surface. MEACC exhibits the shortest induction time, which is reduced by 56% for the single membrane‐assisted method, and by 64% for direct cooling crystallization (DCC), and the highest average induced nucleation rate. The obtained crystals from MEACC present the largest average size, which increases by 30% for the single membrane‐assisted method, and by 132% for DCC, and more regular morphology. MEACC simultaneously achieves efficient induced nucleation under mild supersaturation and explosive nucleation mitigation at high cooling rates, exhibiting great potential for ideal cooling crystallization control.

Source: AIChE Journal

DOI: 10.1002/aic.70703