Electric Field Enhanced Crystallization

When non-polar solutes crystallize from low dielectric solvents in the presence of a strong electric field, crystallization occurs preferentially along the field lines. In this video, naphthalene is crystallizing from a saturated solution in benzene in a small gap between a high-voltage needle and a ground plate. The electric field at the tip of the needle is about 50 million volts per meter. We are investigating the nature of this phenomenon through experimental and theoretical efforts.