A DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystals

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
  • Episode 3 of my series on water ice! In this video I walk through my process for vapor-growing single crystals of ice. Starting with a small single-crystal substrate, a large crystal can be grown by depositing vapor. I use a vacuum chamber to evaporate/sublimate water at about -20 celcius, then a peltier cooler to deposit that water vapor back into a solid. The awesome thing is how crystallographic the samples look - lots beautiful hexagonal facets!
    Extra special thanks to Steve Mould for a fantastic explanation of the thermoelectric effect:
    • Make Electricity Go Ro...
    Other videos in this series:
    The Sound of Freezing, Explained!
    • The Sound of Freezing:...
    The Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)
    • The Sound of Freezing:...
    What is polycrystalline water?
    • What is polycrystallin...
    A DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystals
    • A DIY Recipe for Giant...
    Big Hexagons of Ice 2: Thermoelectric Boogaloo
    [TBD]
    Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:
    / tryitagain
    / alpha__phoenix
    Interesting articles for the extra-curious:
    J.M. Adams, W. Lewis, The Production of Large Single Crystals of Ice, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 5 (1934) 400-402. doi:10.1063/1.1751759.
    T. Shichiri, Faceted ice crystals grown in water without air, J. Cryst. Growth. 187 (1998) 133-137. doi:10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00839-7.
    P. Bisson, H. Groenzin, I.L. Barnett, M.J. Shultz, High yield, single crystal ice via the Bridgman method, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87 (2016) 034103. doi:10.1063/1.4944481.
    A. Cahoon, M. Maruyama, J.S. Wettlaufer, Growth-Melt Asymmetry in Crystals and Twelve-Sided Snowflakes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 255502. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.255502.
    T. Gonda, The Growth of Small Ice Crystals in Gases of High and Low Pressures, C, J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan. Ser. II. 55 (1977) 142-146. doi:10.2151/jmsj1965.55.1_142.
    Y. Furukawa, S. Kohata, Temperature dependence of the growth form of negative crystal in an ice single crystal and evaporation kinetics for its surfaces, J. Cryst. Growth. 129 (1993) 571-581. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(93)90493-G.
    N.N. Khusnatdinov, V.F. Petrenko, Fast-growth technique for ice single crystals, J. Cryst. Growth. 163 (1996) 420-425. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(95)00980-9.
    D. v. d. S. Roos, Rapid Production of Single Crystals of Ice, J. Glaciol. 14 (1975) 325-328. doi:10.3189/s0022143000021808.
    #Materials #Physics #Crystals
    Music and images in this video:
    Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
    Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
    Artist: incompetech.com/
    I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
    ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
    Space Walk by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons license
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowfla...
  • วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

ความคิดเห็น • 448

  • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
    @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +172

    Corrections etc:
    [None yet! Find stuff that's wrong and let me know!]
    Extra special thanks to Steve Mould for a fantastic explanation of the thermoelectric effect! (and giving my channel a shoutout way back when this project was in its infancy)
    Check it out:
    th-cam.com/video/O6waiEeXDGo/w-d-xo.html

    • @MultiPleaser
      @MultiPleaser 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I don't think the heat sink and peltier junction are thermally bonded. They are physically bonded with pressure from the nuts and bolts on the bracket you made.
      The instructions for using thermal compound between a CPU and heat sink say to use a single drop in the center and pressing the two together while keeping them parallel. That way all air bubbles are avoided and you won't overheat a micro spot on your CPU.
      (I've done this for two, old, used computers, which never burned out a CPU. They eventually failed when the mother boards developed problems.)
      I cringed when I saw the wavvy blob full of ridges of air on your heat sink.

    • @daven6910
      @daven6910 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      At 9:30 you use the "TH-cam Premier countdown" music. Those of us who watch premiers have grown to hate it! I automatically reached for the mute button. Not your fault. Otherwise a great video.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @multipleaser That was not the way it actually ran - I did it the right way, with a small blob smeared out with pressure - i even filmed it from up close with a macro lens to get the squish, but somehow that footage got lost, and I ended up with a clip of that gross blob from early in the process (note that it had two peltiers on that one too), and that clip itself was ALREADY a recreation, which is why there was an awful blob on top of already flat stuff.... sorry it was cringey - i agree!

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @dave ,N - oh no! - I used that audio on one of my favorite timelapses - sucks that it has picked up a bad connotation...

    • @Shipfish
      @Shipfish 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I would like to know if single crystal ice has a more or less satisfying crunch than regular ice. I think that would be a delightful followup to this video!

  • @storminmormin14
    @storminmormin14 3 ปีที่แล้ว +437

    I work in the vacuums lab at a university physics department. You are a monster for what you did to that pump.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +150

      I had to change the oil multiple times - it was super groady after getting mixed with water... I just bought “food grade” mineral oil too cause it was cheap. Not sure about the viscosity but the pump didn’t seem to mind xD

    • @usmguy1234
      @usmguy1234 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      You should see what happens to one when filtering solids washed in diethyl-ether in an enclosed fume hood cabinet. Needless to say the fume hood was sashless and the undergrads were not allowed to use the vacuum pump again...or the new one rather.

    • @LevySkulk
      @LevySkulk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel very late to this, but companies like Harvest Rite sell oil-less vacuum pumps for use with their freeze dryers. I use them at work, very low maintenance and can handle hundreds of cycles

    • @dangoldbach6570
      @dangoldbach6570 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Try shell turbo 68 steam turbine oil. I use it in my Welsh capture pumps when recovering refrigerant from chillers. It gets milky but it's got the highest water tolerance I have found so far

    • @usmguy1234
      @usmguy1234 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@dangoldbach6570 can confirm, gst 68 is good shit.

  • @Purpleturtlehurtler
    @Purpleturtlehurtler 2 ปีที่แล้ว +101

    The joyous laughter of a scientist doing what his 5th grade self wanted to always do himself brings me life.

    • @kernelle4
      @kernelle4 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What can I say, the man loves a good vaccuum

  • @nairb118
    @nairb118 3 ปีที่แล้ว +481

    I appreciate the Kerbal Space Program music in the intro!

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +121

      Haha is that Kerbal music too? Cool!
      It's a really common royalty-free song (at least I use it a lot) Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod

    • @nairb118
      @nairb118 3 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel Neat to hear that's where they got it! Kerbal uses that music once you escape atmosphere and start orbiting. Kinda makes sense they would use royalty free, I don't think the original developer expected much commercial success.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +95

      I've always been scared to start playing Kerbal, lest I loose the time to do anything else.

    • @ronwesilen4536
      @ronwesilen4536 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel you should definitely sell your life to the kerbal overlords. I did it and I'm happy for that

    • @TimTomHarry
      @TimTomHarry 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I believe the song is also in Fable 3

  • @Ornateluna
    @Ornateluna 3 ปีที่แล้ว +193

    I remember when about half a year ago I googled pictures of single ice crystals but at best I could find some research papers on growing them, so this series has really scratched an itch of mine about ice crystals

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      most of the research is about tiny ones - it frustrated me nobody has tried this scale before! I know I could have made more impressive ones with real lab equipment

    • @LC-sc3en
      @LC-sc3en 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Someone I know just texted me a picture of a drink they froze that had formed a pattern of concentric hexagons on its surface. It was wild!
      This video is the closest I was able to get to an explanation of how likely it was to occur.

  • @flirkami
    @flirkami 3 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    4:20 that Transition was daamn smooth!

    • @Scanlaid
      @Scanlaid 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Little bit of tv magic for ya. I oohed and aahed like the emeril live studio audience

    • @1.4142
      @1.4142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Fooled me.
      Also the timestamp lmao

    • @turun_ambartanen
      @turun_ambartanen 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      You mean him grabbing the other dish?

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Shhhh

    • @turun_ambartanen
      @turun_ambartanen 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel Gotta say though, that was amazingly done! I watched that part at least 20 times to make sure ;)

  • @joshuamurray9112
    @joshuamurray9112 2 ปีที่แล้ว +159

    “You must preheat your freezer to -20 Celsius”
    Hmmm

    • @oneilmw
      @oneilmw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Welcome to Cooking with AlphaPhoenix!

    • @cope9489
      @cope9489 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      People living in Siberia:

    • @cursedcliff7562
      @cursedcliff7562 ปีที่แล้ว

      Pre-Heated (relative to absolute zero :p)

    • @eamonia
      @eamonia ปีที่แล้ว

      I guess he going by the Kelvin standard.

  • @KX36
    @KX36 3 ปีที่แล้ว +148

    Don't let CGP Grey fool you, wetsagons are the real bestagons.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      "Hexagons are the Bestagons" is a really fantastic video though. After I saw that, I spent the next two weeks inhaling every CGP Grey video I could find

    • @jek__
      @jek__ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      isnt that vihart

    • @archevenault
      @archevenault 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@jek__ Nah vihart is hexaflexagon

  • @recurvestickerdragon
    @recurvestickerdragon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    Technology Connections would have a field day with how many consecutive heat pumps are used in the cooling

    • @SirFloIII
      @SirFloIII 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Really connecting them technologies

    • @basedyoshi7253
      @basedyoshi7253 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I see you're a man of culture as well

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think 'heat pump' only refers to devices using the refrigeration cycle. The general term being 'reverse heat engine' for a device that takes work and moves heat.

  • @puddlejumper3259
    @puddlejumper3259 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Dude I love your delivery at the beginning:
    "Really cool hexagonal ice cubes. I don't mean cool thermally but they will also be that"
    Was the most amazingly nerdy thing I think I've heard anyone say

  • @wbeaty
    @wbeaty 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The MIT underwater snowflake machine for years was on display at the Museum of Science in Boston. Two of them! (so, as one was melting and re-chilling, the other was making snowflakes.) I was the tech manager there at the time. Each was a flat cell of supercooled water, mounted vertically, w/side lighting against black background, (with glycol cooling for rapid temp changes,) plus a 1cm coldfinger near the top, to produce a large excursion and nucleate some seed crystals. As they fell, the dense seeds grew to thin snowflakes up to 30mm wide, piling up at the bottom of the water-cell.

  • @4LO4LO
    @4LO4LO 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Just a suggestion, if you ever need degassed water again, you could degas your water by keeping it just below the boiling point for a long time (ideally for a day or two). Then you could boil some of the water off, rig steam to your peltier chamber, then vent your peltier chamber (at net positive pressure) to atmosphere to ensure it is filled only with steam (by displacement/dilution). Degas complete without potentially harming your pump. Either way, you got the results you are looking for. Good job. This was a really educational and fascinating video, and you are a good storyteller.

  • @MouZ245
    @MouZ245 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thanks, TH-cam-algorythm!
    I watch videos about squirrels and am into science, too.
    Yesterday youtube decided to show me a video from Steve Mould talking about how squirrels cache acorns and how acorns use that to reproduce effectively.
    That video brought me here (since I liked it).
    Now that (at 6:35 ) Steve Mould gets mentioned I finally know how I got here.

  • @russellking747
    @russellking747 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Pro-tip: Ever noticed that large crystals are usually produced in a liquid bath?
    PRo-Pro-tip: why don't you just seed a crystal on demand?
    I accidentally did this once - funnily enough using a peltier the other way around:
    I had a sodium acetate heat pack, and wanted to measure the temperature point at which the seed clicker stopped producing seed crystals - I was using a peltier as a heater to accurately maintain the temperature of the heat pack, as regulating the thermal output of a peltier can be done slowly by setting the power electrically and make quick adjustments by varying the temperature of the cold side (with another peltier); I found that I was getting a large single crystal at around the 56°C mark (it took ages), rather than the dentral slush that usually forms. I could not get a crystal at all above 57°, although this could have been error in my temperature sensing (I was using a schottky diode as the sensor and crude temperature readings from several sources to map the voltage drop to a temperature gradient).
    The most prominent result from this is that I didn't see dendral formations if I regulated the temperature of the sodium acetate within a couple of degrees below its freezing point.
    I also noticed that spawning the seed crystal often resulted in a single crystal - maybe because of the very low probability at the temperatures I was doing this at.
    This video reminded me of that experiment. Maybe this could be better way of getting a single ice crystal?
    The method:
    Supercool pure water to a couple of degrees below zero, spawn a seed, and regulate temperature as close to below freezing as possible - note that this is somewhat self-regulating, due to the supercooled freezing effectively raising the temperature of the medium as the ice forms - you only have to keep the liquid bath temperature constant and slightly below freezing.
    Just a thought, hope it helps.

  • @purdysanchez
    @purdysanchez 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Never on my life did think I would ever be so fascinated about using applied physics to try and achieve unadulterated lattice structures, but your videos are just too good. Well done.

  • @ssholum
    @ssholum 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Very cool seeing those hexagons finally!
    Reminds me of when I learned about the process for making monocrystaline silicon wafers. The nano-scale doping process for making devices was also cool, but there's something amazing about taking a tiny seed crystal and pulling a giant bullion out of molten material.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I’d love to see a bulk 14” silicon boule in person one day

    • @IainMcClatchie
      @IainMcClatchie 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel SunEdison had one in their lobby a few years ago. 20 feet long! That's 4000 wafers or so.
      Silicon is zone refined, which I think means they melt a cylinder of it from one end to the other while pulling heat out both ends. My understanding is that for this to work, the silicon would have to solidify as a single crystal, otherwise they'd collect impurities in the grain boundaries. So that suggests there are two ways used to make single crystals, the Czochralsky method but also this simpler freezing in the zone refining container. Or is zone refining done with the Czochralsky pull at the top?
      If not, why bother with the Czochralsky method? They need to align the crystal orientation to the boule axis, so that the wafer can have a single crystalline face. Maybe the zone refining process doesn't give control over the crystal axes.
      I wonder if there is something you can do with zone refined water that wouldn't work in presence of even tiny amounts of impurities. I can't think of one myself, which makes demonstrating zone refined ice less interesting.

    • @namibjDerEchte
      @namibjDerEchte 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@IainMcClatchie zone melting refines the purity because the dirt will travel along with the melt zone preferentially, rather than crystallizing out. Essentially sorta like freeze-distilling.

  • @RaderGH
    @RaderGH 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    People: 'There are no straight lines in nature'
    Nature: 'Hold my solid water'

  • @AlanZucconi
    @AlanZucconi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Very nice! ❄️
    I've been having a lot of issues myself with Peltier modules when I was trying to build a mini fridge/incubator for ants!
    I made an oven instead. 😅

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      OOOOOOOH man yes that was my experience. heat removal is a PAIN

    • @eamonia
      @eamonia ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Oh no! I bet they were like, "Why God, why? What have we done to displease you?"
      And the little Job ant was like, "No, it's cool guys. We should still kiss his ass."
      And then you stepped in and said, "Shut up you stupid ants, God isn't real."

  • @charliesteiner2334
    @charliesteiner2334 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Vacuum pump tip: run the water vapor through a cold trap before it goes to the pump. The "cold trap" can just be a part of the tube that you dunk in a dry ice ethanol bath, but that will get clogged easy - better trap geometries can require brazing tubes into bigger tubes though.

  • @bytesandbikes
    @bytesandbikes 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This project is fascinating. I especially like the adsorption cooler driven with a peltier cooler!

  • @Tomkat53
    @Tomkat53 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You're such an outstanding nerd scientist! I love every moment watching this channel!

  • @jonathanacuna
    @jonathanacuna 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love that you have visuals for everything your talking about. Makes it simple to follow along 😄🙏🏼

  • @halonothing1
    @halonothing1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm glad I stumbled on this video again. I've recently been growing crystals from different chemicals. Nothing fancy, calcium acetate, sodium acetate, salt, calcium carbonate, citric acid, which makes very nice crystals. But I could never get them more than about 1cm at the largest. I'm more or less trying to do this "discovery style" just exploring and discovering it all on my own without reading anything (or very much) about it. I think even though it's about ice, the principles in this video could be applied to my own crystal growing attempts.

  • @antivanti
    @antivanti 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    A note on freezers. While they can achieve a decent difference in temperature between inside and outside they can only move a certain amount of heat per unit of time so if you try to cool a heat source with a bigger output of heat than that it will eventually just act as a big insulated box that gets warmer and warmer. This is why you cannot cool a gaming PC in the freezer. Kind of like how your initial insufficiently cooled stack of peltier elements ended up heating rather than cooling 😊👍

  • @StormBurnX
    @StormBurnX 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I feel like we have a new "Ben at Applied Science" on youtube and I'm so incredibly excited about this.

  • @KingSharpeMan
    @KingSharpeMan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    That's why I always tell people ice is a natural mineral. It occurs naturally, it has a definite composition, it has a crystaline structure it is not organic, and it's a solid.
    We put rocks in our soda!

    • @TlalocTemporal
      @TlalocTemporal 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I mean, we already put rocks in our soda. That's why it's called soda -- sodium bicarbonate, which we can get as nahcolite, or crystallizing it out of mineral springs.
      Also, some drinks have salt, so that's three minerals in drinks. Glass too if your clumsy! :p

  • @GodlikeIridium
    @GodlikeIridium ปีที่แล้ว

    That is so cool! The crystal looked absolutely amazing!

  • @miamatti
    @miamatti 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    OHHH yea Im so Fricken stoked to find this channel!!!!!!

  • @ViiKing_
    @ViiKing_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Haha, jokes on you, I already watched Steve Mould's video ages ago!

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I mean most of you probably came direct from his channel - there’s not a lot I can do to repay his favor...

    • @ViiKing_
      @ViiKing_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel I don't remember how I found you but your content is awesome nevertheless

  • @JesusSportsNature
    @JesusSportsNature 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hexagonal prisms so cool!

  • @clarity7699
    @clarity7699 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This gave me an eyegasm thank you

  • @jonathanfeller
    @jonathanfeller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I was looking forward to this video! Thank you for the awesome content! :-)

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You’re welcome! Glad you like the channel! There’s a pt. 2 to this one too - watch out

  • @timothysands5537
    @timothysands5537 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This guy is awesome 👌👏😎
    Great work ethic too for sticking with this.

  • @philipcox5859
    @philipcox5859 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    it is crazy how underrated you are, u need more subs man

  • @torinireland6526
    @torinireland6526 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your dry humor in the intro was hilarious :) Great work!

  • @krmr
    @krmr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Getting strong Breaking Bad vibes.. a garage, jugs, contraptions on a table, tarp covering stuff up, the Hawaiian shirt. Cooking up 'ice' 😂

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Gotta get myself a Winnebago just for chemistry videos...

    • @krmr
      @krmr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel You probably already got the necessary glassware, but If you then start growing ice and other crystals in an RV.. we know where that leads.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      filmed through a clear table last night

  • @Goodgu3963
    @Goodgu3963 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    4:25 that jump cut was SMOOOOOOTH lol nicely done

  • @s1nningjezus207
    @s1nningjezus207 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    That was great. Thank you!

  • @fernandogarciacortez4911
    @fernandogarciacortez4911 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Awesome video as always!

  • @asdfadfafsdfa
    @asdfadfafsdfa 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This channel will be huge sooner than we realize

  • @1.4142
    @1.4142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Somewhere out there, aliens make jewelry out of ice.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Fun to think about. Wonder what kinds of “biological” reactions could exist at very low temperatures by earth-life standards?

    • @max_kl
      @max_kl 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Those would probably also be rather slow-moving aliens

  • @JoshuaDoss
    @JoshuaDoss 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I am really liking these.
    More please

  • @ding0172
    @ding0172 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Been directed here, wasn't sure to subscribe until I saw the shirt, it definitely deserves a subscription!

  • @Techischannel
    @Techischannel 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    A Dish that turns whiter and whiter the colder it gets?! THATS MEGA COOL!

  • @useazebra
    @useazebra 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video!
    As i understand it, attempting to grow a single crystal is really tricky, imvolving a lot of effort to maintain the right concentration of available atom, ions, or molecules PLUS the right pressure PLUS the right temperature,and possibly sometimes the right electrical charge.
    As near as I can tell, the people who have figured out ways of depositing perfect crystals of interesting substances (diamond, sapphire, lithium flouride used in JWST lenses) guard their secrets pretty tightly.

  • @genuinedickies99
    @genuinedickies99 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Water vapor atmosphere... What an odd way to drown. And thank you for sharing, that water crystal was neat. I bet a shear off of it would look crazy.

  • @CrooningRevival365
    @CrooningRevival365 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Dude you deserve so many more views.

  • @eitanseitchik3020
    @eitanseitchik3020 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Here from Steve Mould! You got a subscriber!

  • @johnpossum556
    @johnpossum556 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video to release today. We've just had -23C and we're going to get colder!

  • @TachyonAnnihilator
    @TachyonAnnihilator 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Reminds me of when I went to Iceland. We passed a frozen waterfall, and a chunk had fallen and smashed weeks prior. One piece had a wonderful tessellated hexagon pattern. Really beautiful chunk of ice. I only now know what I really saw... and I'm sorry to say this man... but mother nature 1 upped you. You got out done by iceland's wonderful seasons xD

  • @nicktohzyu
    @nicktohzyu 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    if you don't need a large temperature delta across the peltier, it's far more effective to get a higher current rated peltier (eg the 12715) and undervolt it

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Interesting point! I just bought something cheap - maybe that was a bad plan...

  • @dangoldbach6570
    @dangoldbach6570 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Found this channel when I was researching sputter coating for a camera lens project...yeah... Nuts, but, whatever. This channel is great! Subscribed! My thoughts on this so far, de-gassing the water and the distillation process is giving you a beautifully pure crystal of water, brilliant use of the peltier waste heat! Second, run your vacuum line through molecular sieve, it will save your vacuum pump. An activated carbon trap will also scavenge excess N2 and O2 also if you leave it connected to the vacuum chamber.... I think! But, your experience in molecular epitaxy chambers is probably going to give you a far better grasp on this than I!!! 😂

  • @SnizzyDeeFTW
    @SnizzyDeeFTW 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    N-ice video, I'm enjoying the mini series on ice crystals

  • @ploobooble1141
    @ploobooble1141 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ah, the lovely sound of reaching space in ksp

  • @JayPixx
    @JayPixx 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Looks amazing! Great work mate :3 funny and educating. So much passion in what you are doing.

  • @rockhunther0209
    @rockhunther0209 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    It's so....beautiful...

  • @brettkalfas5012
    @brettkalfas5012 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This has Bill Nye vibes and I love it.

  • @ricardasist
    @ricardasist 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing video!

  • @boobrowsky
    @boobrowsky 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Interesting amount of dedication to creating single hail ball :P

  • @wilfredswinkels
    @wilfredswinkels 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    YAY you made hackaday!! congrats!! :-D

  • @1PoodleKing1
    @1PoodleKing1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Awesome video! Been waiting for this since Steve Mould's video came out. Worth the wait. Really interested in part 2. It would be cool to give a brief explanation of why it grows in steps and ledges. I'm not entirely clear on whether this is a single crystal, of if it's a polycrystalline with the basal planes all oriented in the same direction

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It’s a single crystal it’s just cut at an inconvenient angle so it zigzags with facets. There’s a graphic to explain that I just put together for the next video.
      I was REALLY hoping that I angled the camera and the light correctly once to see the “step flow” growth and the. Nucleation of new islands on top but unfortunately none of them were so perfect

  • @live4twilight4ever
    @live4twilight4ever 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    not to be a huge nerd but the drow in the legend of drizzt books, back when they had infravision, used what i now recognize as magical versions of peltier coolers to signal each other over long distances in the dark and i think that's pretty cool

  • @h2amster328
    @h2amster328 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who calls ice "frozen water."

  • @xXRickTrolledXx
    @xXRickTrolledXx 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    3:26 to 3:33 is was really well delivered and edited. Good belly laugh.

  • @zachsprat9977
    @zachsprat9977 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Kinda reminds me of etched phenakite crystals. This is so dope duuuude.

  • @krishorst4734
    @krishorst4734 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well this is sort of like getting 1000 people to join together and hold hands and say its the biggest person ever.

  • @stefanheimersheim
    @stefanheimersheim 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    You're making amazing videos! Your fun with just doing things, and the spirit of a grad student, it's awesome!
    Edit: Are you still grad student? Not sure, was one of your older vids maybe

  • @1ch190
    @1ch190 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice facets dudeski

  • @miklov
    @miklov 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great content!

  • @daven6910
    @daven6910 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    For some reason I feel compelled to subscribe.

  • @ronwesilen4536
    @ronwesilen4536 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is pretty amazing. Very good work! I hope you channel gets big soon. Have you seen the community tab exploit? Maybe that can help, who knows.

  • @Scrogan
    @Scrogan 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very nice work! The thermal loop and the filling of the chamber with water vapour is a very elegant solution. I remember suggesting trying to use a pettier to grow a crystal from liquid water in the last video, but that would require a setup more complicated than this one. Crystal growth might be different in nature though.
    Only suggestion I have now is to add a tiny camera (like from a raspi or USB/laptop webcam) inside the freezer to get a time lapse. But I’ve no idea if a CCD would work at those temperatures, not to mention in a vacuum chamber.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I tried just submerging the peltier in water in the vacuum chamber instead of only partially filling the chamber and never saw any facets (despite what the literature told me...)
      And don't worry - I have PLENTY of timelapse of growing crystal set to release. I'm really pleased with it - I put the whole big mirrorless camera in the freezer for like multiple weeks total. I think i'm going to release a very short "how to film in the freezer" follow up video as a technical interest

  • @CKOD
    @CKOD 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    1 / 18 crystalline phases done! Ice II, Ice III next?

    • @laughterman805
      @laughterman805 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ice nine

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I briefly googled how difficult it would be to build a diamond anvil cell a few days ago, but unfortunately the answer is "pretty hard"

  • @RiffZifnab
    @RiffZifnab 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Best ice cubes found! (:

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      the bestagons?

    • @RiffZifnab
      @RiffZifnab 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel Exactly (:
      Needs a better name than "ice cube" though. BestaHexaIceAgon?

  • @MrDavePed
    @MrDavePed ปีที่แล้ว

    One very special morning I was driving home at sunrise. The crystals were covering all the golden autumn trees as far as I could see. Not ordinary crystals, these were paper thin crystals the size of silver dollars covering everything. The sun was rising into a clear blue sky and the effect was absolutely dazzling. If I only had a camera with me at the time.
    ..

  • @IanWilkinson
    @IanWilkinson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Cool!

  • @EthanShalev
    @EthanShalev 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This must have been so rewarding, after all the difficulties growing a single crystal in the past.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      YEP! It feels reallly good to have the project done and filmed (just a tiny bit of editing left for the last main video). Still feel like it wasn't 100% though - I originally wanted a hexagonal prism the size of my fist. oh well...

    • @EthanShalev
      @EthanShalev 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel a lot of the US is having a very cold winter now. Any chance you can take advantage of that and grow a crystal out on the lawn, rather than in the freezer?

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      haha first off I live in Southern California, so it's 64 F outside. Second, although I really struggled getting my freezer to hold a constant temperature, I think it would be even more variable outside - would be fun to try though. There'll be a bit more detail on these kinds of technical bits in the next video - stay tuned!

  • @matiakd
    @matiakd 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love to make ice crystals 😉

  • @BasedBidoof
    @BasedBidoof 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    huh I wanna taste a densified marshmallow now. That stack of hexagon crystals is pure art.

  • @seeigecannon
    @seeigecannon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Heh, I have a turbo vac pump at home that I was using for freezedrying (hey, overkill works). My failed experiments included burned ice cream and burned popsicles, but the giant Lucky Charms... er, marshmellows, turned out great.

  • @AboveEmAllProduction
    @AboveEmAllProduction 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank so much for this recepie i was stuck so long make only square ones, tyyy

  • @user-iq6en8ed7q
    @user-iq6en8ed7q 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    the bowl changing color joke just won me over :^ I now subscribe

  • @BlueButtonMasher
    @BlueButtonMasher 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    this makes me appreciate the set design of superman 2

  • @tophan5146
    @tophan5146 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Smooth intro 😎

  • @fzigunov
    @fzigunov 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    12:11 OMG that's so cool!!!

  • @ivanbravo6986
    @ivanbravo6986 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This guy is like the chemistry teacher version of engineering explained 😂

    • @trevorgray3681
      @trevorgray3681 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought I was the only one lol. He even sounds similar

  • @andie_pants
    @andie_pants 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    9:30 I have a pavlovian response to this music to run and grab a beer or go pee real quick because the premier is about to begin!

  • @prdoyle
    @prdoyle 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ooooh good choice of music. Creeper World!

  • @timehunter9467
    @timehunter9467 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I recognise that music you used, I think I’ve heard it in a Ratchet and Clank game. Great video too.

  • @YodaWhat
    @YodaWhat 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    *Cold Traps. USE THEM!* Why not prevent most of the water vapor from ever reaching the vacuum pump? Simple to make, easy to use: a coil of soft copper tubing inserted into the vacuum hose between pump and chamber, with the coil immersed into a container of dry ice drowned in alcohol. It is only needed for the few minutes it takes to de-gas the vacuum chamber. Virtually all the water vapor headed for the pump gets intercepted and frozen onto the inside of the coil, leaving very little water for the pump to contend with. Water in the chamber can be de-gassed in advance by boiling it for 15 minutes. U-shaped tubes (preferably loosely stuffed with metal wool) can be used instead of copper coil, and several can be put in parallel for extra capacity. If it is necessary to use _hard copper_ tubing or other material you don't want to bend, the U-shapes can be soldered together from straight sections and elbows. U-tubes are easily made that will fit inside a normal Thermos-type bottle if a cryo-dewar is not available.
    Also, a warmer (but still cold) trap can be used for low vacuum work with water vapor. A trap at about zero degrees F can be used to capture most of the water vapor before it reaches the dry ice trap. Zero °F is easily achieved by pouring rock salt over ice cubes. Slightly colder can be achieved with salts other than NaCl. When large amounts of water vapor must be intercepted, consider adding extra pathways (and volume) in the bottom of U-tubes by making a sort of ladder from tees, with elbows only at the bottom. That will prevent liquid 'slugging' towards the pump if the elbows get filled up with liquid.
    For water vapor in high vacuum, use a dry ice cold trap followed by a trap chilled with liquid nitrogen. The vapor pressure of H2O at LN2 temperature is extremely low... consider the icy moons in the outer solar system that have not sublimed away even after billions of years.

  • @d19sbp
    @d19sbp 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ok you did do that, nice

  •  2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Used to get some of these crystals in a lab freeze dryer

  • @LoliLoveJuice
    @LoliLoveJuice 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    its more amazing finding it in nature

  • @raeem5064
    @raeem5064 ปีที่แล้ว

    For reasons unknown, I’ve cried upon seeing the ice structure in the end

  • @michaelmolter6180
    @michaelmolter6180 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Peltier junctions are roughly 10% efficient. If you want to move 10W away from something cold, you need to dissipate roughly 110W on the hot side (10W + 10W / 10%). This means in the second stage / layer, you'd need to dissipate 1210 W! Just to move that tiny 10W from the first layer cold side!

  • @tillmartens5770
    @tillmartens5770 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    damn because of you ive got to hit the ksp again!

  • @MakarovFox
    @MakarovFox 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    i love arcadia

  • @DBXLabs
    @DBXLabs 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice video

  • @dionyzus2909
    @dionyzus2909 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    thats... so... good.... ahhhh

  • @BrandonPoulton
    @BrandonPoulton 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    12:00 Beautiful!