Shock‐wave‐induced nucleation leading to crystallization in water

It is well known that super‐cooled materials can be crystallized under the application of shock waves. This is the first report describing crystallization from unsaturated liquids. Shock‐wave‐induced crystallization of salts from environmental ground and sea water samples is explored. A table‐top pressure‐driven shock tube is utilized so as to produce the required shock waves of Mach numbers 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.2 and 4.7. The demonstration comprises a train of acoustic shock pulses applied to the water samples. As a consequence of the impact of the shock waves, the colourless water becomes turbid, following which tiny crystallites are precipitated at the bottom of the vessel after a few minutes. The obtained precipitate is subjected to powder X‐ray diffraction and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analysis to confirm the nature of the settled particles and the elements present in them, respectively. From the observed results, it is concluded that shock‐wave‐induced crystallization in water provides an alternative method for removing dissolved salts from both ground and sea water samples. Shock‐wave‐induced crystallization in water samples is reported and the mechanism is discussed. The technique provides an alternative method of understanding the crystallization behaviours of different liquids and solid materials, and it can be used as a water purification method.