Crystal nucleation in an electric field

Nucleation of polar and apolar crystals in an electrostatic field has been analyzed. The analysis is based on the extended nucleation theory which takes into account orientation of amorphous kinetic elements and the resulting crystals. In an electric field free energy of transformation is orientation-dependent which leads to orientation and field effects in thermodynamic (critical crystallization temperature) and kinetic crystallization characteristics (thermal and athermal nucleation rates).