Study of ice-forming properties of clusters of metal oxide nanostructures

The relevance of the work is due to the necessity to develop effective reagents in comparison with silver iodide-based compositions currently used in the practice of active influences on cloud processes. The paper presents the results of the study of nanostructures of metal oxides formed during thermal sublimation of metals. It is shown that during thermal sublimation of metals in the presence of water vapour, metal oxide clusters are formed, which consist of filamentary nanostructures. Due to the presence of multiple crystallization centres, such clusters possess ice-forming properties with a specific yield of ice-forming nuclei up to $10^{13}$ $g^{-1}$. The mechanism of ice formation of clusters is associated with capillary phenomena in nanotubes and nanofibres, of which they consist, and the peculiarities of the water structure in them. The clusters formed in the dry chamber do not possess ice-forming properties.