Biological Ice Nucleation

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2027Contribute to this Special Topic

Ice nucleation is a fundamental interfacial process with far-reaching consequences for atmospheric science, agriculture, cryobiology, and food technology. Biological ice nucleating particles, produced by bacteria, fungi, pollen, algae, and other organisms, are among the most efficient ice nucleators known, capable of triggering ice formation more efficiently than any other known material. At the molecular level, biological ice nucleation is a surface phenomenon: ice nucleating proteins and macromolecules organize water molecules into ice-like structures at the protein–water interface. Understanding these interfacial processes, from the structure and assembly of ice nucleating proteins to the interaction between biological particles and water at the nanoscale, is essential for advancing both fundamental science and practical applications.

This collection brings together researchers working across the disciplines that converge on biological ice nucleation.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

  • Structure, Function, and Assembly of Bacterial Ice Nucleation Proteins
  • Ice-Binding and Antifreeze Proteins: Mechanisms of Ice Recognition at the Molecular Interface
  • Biogenic Ice Nucleating Particles in the Atmosphere: Sources, Transport, and Climate Relevance
  • Surface Chemistry and Molecular Organization at the Ice Nucleator–Water Interface
  • Microbial Ecology of Ice Nucleation-Active Organisms in Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments
  • Quantitative characterization of biointerfaces under mechanical stimuli
  • Ice Nucleation by Pollen, Fungal Spores, Algae, and Other Biological Materials
  • Interfacial Characterization Techniques Applied to Biological Ice Nucleation
  • Ice Nucleation in Cryobiology, Food Science, and Cryopreservation
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation of Biological Ice Nucleation at Interfaces
  • Applications in Agriculture, Cloud Seeding, and Atmospheric Intervention

Guest Editors

Kai Finster, Aarhus University

Tina Santl-Temkiv, Aarhus University

Hinrich Grothe, TU Wien

Peter Davies, Queen’s University

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2027Contribute to this Special Topic