  The control of ice nucleation and growth is critical in many natural and
engineering situations. Yet, very few compounds are able to interact directly
with the surface of ice crystals. Ice-structuring proteins, found in certain
fishes, plants and insects, bind to the surface of ice, thereby controlling
their growth. We recently revealed the ice-structuring properties of zirconium
acetate which are similar to those of ice-structuring proteins. Being a salt,
and therefore different from the proteins having ice-structuring properties,
its ice-structuring mechanism remains unelucidated. Here we investigate this
ice-structuring mechanism through the role of the concentration of zirconium
acetate and of the ice crystal growth velocity. We then explore other compounds
presenting similar functional groups (acetate, hydroxyl, or carboxylic groups).
Based on these results, we propose that zirconium acetate adopts a
hydroxy-bridged polymer structure which can bind to the surface of the ice
crystals through hydrogen bonding, thereby slowing down ice crystal growth.
