Low temperature crystallization of glasses in the H2O-NaCl-dimethyl sulphoxide ternary system

The determination and application of ternary H2O-NaCl-cryoprotective agent phase diagram information appears to offer materials scientists and biologists a unique opportunity for co-operative research. Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) is a widely used cryoprotective agent and in this investigation the H2O-NaCl-DMSO system appears to develop a glassy phase even at relatively low cooling rates (25°C min-1) for those water-rich compositions where the ratio of DMSO to NaCl varies from 2 to 1/2. This glassy phase is relatively unstable and the kinetics of the glass-to-crystalline phase transition have been investigated and shown to be first order. Activation energies (Q) and the times required for the completion of this first order transformation have been evaluated by differential thermal analysis. Such information may be useful in interpreting the effects of long term storage on rapidly frozen biological materials perfused with DMSO. © 1974 Chapman and Hall Ltd.

Duke Scholars

Author F. Hadley Cocks Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...