ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of isochoric containers below the freezing point was proposed for the reduction of freezing damage. OBJECTIVE: To determine mathematically the dielectric constant (k') of a sample inside an isochoric container depending on a suggested nucleated volume, and to compare the values with the reported k' for an isochoric container. METHODS: Different nucleation arrangements inside a cylindrical capacitor filled with water was considered, and the way that ice Ih changes the capacitance and the expected k' was examined. RESULTS: Dielectric constant for different nucleation arrangements decreases proportionally with the nucleated volume, reaching smaller values when the nucleation is supposed only over the internal electrode. However, the nucleation proposed don't reproduce the experimental behavior. CONCLUSION: When compared with experimental results, k' values suggest the water inside an isochoric container remains in liquid state (-4 ~ 0 degree C), which may explain that there is no biological damage for this temperature range.
