undercooled
Liquid below freezing point
Undercooled describes something cooled below a threshold temperature.
In physics, an undercooled liquid has been chilled below its freezing point without solidifying—a metastable state where crystallization hasn't yet occurred: The undercooled water froze instantly when disturbed.
In cooking or food safety, undercooled means insufficiently chilled: The undercooled meat posed a contamination risk.
Liquid chilled below freezing
- metastableStable but not permanently
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
- enthalpyThermodynamic total heat quantity
equilibrium · supersaturation · diffusion · kinetics · isothermal · homogeneous · heterogeneous
Transition to firm state
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- microstructureSubmillimeter material composition
- phaseDistinct period in sequence
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
dendritic · segregation · alloy · grain · precipitation · ferrite · pearlite · homogenization
Transformation into glass
- viscosityFluid's flow resistance
- amorphousWithout distinct shape
- annealingHeat-softening of metals
- fritPre-melted glaze material
silica · borosilicate · soda-lime · melt · furnace · tempering · cullet · batch
Ultralow temperature science
- refrigerantHeat-transfer medium
- freezingExtremely cold
- chillerRefrigeration unit or horror
- cryopreservationLow-temperature biological preservation
supercooling
Liquid chilled below freezing
- metastableStable but not permanently
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
enthalpy · equilibrium · supersaturation · diffusion · kinetics · isothermal · homogeneous · heterogeneous
solidification
Transition to firm state
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- microstructureSubmillimeter material composition
- phaseDistinct period in sequence
crystallization · dendritic · segregation · alloy · grain · precipitation · ferrite · pearlite · homogenization · quenching
vitrification
Transformation into glass
frit · silica · borosilicate · soda-lime · melt · furnace · tempering · cullet · batch · blowing
cryogenics
Ultralow temperature science
- refrigerantHeat-transfer medium
- freezingExtremely cold
- chillerRefrigeration unit or horror
undercooledsuperheated
Heated beyond phase change
overcooled · overheated · overchilled · molten · solidified
cool, cooler, uncool, cooling, cooled, coolest, coolly, coolant, cooldown