Method of inducing nucleation of a material

1. A method of inducing nucleation of freezing in a material within a chamber comprising the steps of:

bringing the material to a temperature near or below a phase transition temperature in an atmosphere within the chamber pressurized above ambient pressure; and

decreasing the pressure of the atmosphere within the chamber proximate the material in 40 seconds or less or at a pressure rate drop, ΔP/Δt, greater than about 0.2 psi per second, to uniformly induce nucleation of the phase transition in the material.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of bringing the material to a temperature below a phase transition temperature in the atmosphere within the chamber pressurized above ambient pressure further comprises cooling the material within the pressurized chamber to a metastable state.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of cooling of the nucleated material after depressurization to or below a final temperature to further the freezing of the material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein depressurization of the chamber is initiated when the material attains a desired nucleation temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein depressurization of the chamber is initiated at a desired time after the temperature of the material reaches the phase transition temperature or below.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of gases, liquids, solutions, suspensions, gels, mixtures, or components within a suspension, solution or mixture.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a solution and the phase transition temperature is the thermodynamic freezing point of the solution.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the material further comprises a biopharmaceutical material, a pharmaceutical material, a chemical material, a biological material, a foodstuff or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressurized atmosphere comprises argon, nitrogen, helium, air, water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide, neon, xenon, krypton, hydrogen, or mixtures thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is brought to a temperature ranging from the phase transition temperature to about 20° C. below the phase transition temperature prior to depressurization.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is brought to a temperature ranging from the phase transition temperature to about 5° C. below the phase transition temperature prior to depressurization.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure is decreased by an amount equal to or greater than about 14 psi.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure is decreased by an amount greater than about 7 psi.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure is decreased such that an absolute pressure ratio, P i /P f , is about 1.2 or greater.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the material contains a component selected from the group consisting of live viruses; attenuated viruses; nucleic acids; monoclonal antibodies; polyclonal antibodies; biomolecules; nonpeptide analogues; peptides; or proteins.

16. A method of controlling the freezing process of a material in a plurality of vials or containers within a chamber comprising the steps of:

cooling the material at a prescribed cooling rate in the chamber pressurized above ambient pressure;

decreasing the pressure in the pressurized chamber in 40 seconds or less or at a pressure rate drop, ΔP/Δt, greater than about 0.2 psi per second, to uniformly nucleate freezing within the material in the plurality of vials or containers; and

continuing cooling of the nucleated material in the plurality of vials or containers to a prescribed final temperature to further freeze the material.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein depressurization is initiated when the material in the plurality of vials or containers attains a desired nucleation temperature.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein depressurization is initiated a desired time after initiation of the initial cooling step and when the temperature of the material in the plurality of vials or containers reaches the phase transition temperature or below.

19. A solidification process of a material disposed in a plurality of vials or containers within a chamber comprising the steps of:

bringing the material in the plurality of vials or containers to a temperature near or below a phase transition temperature in the chamber pressurized above ambient pressure;

decreasing the pressure in the chamber in 40 seconds or less or at a pressure rate drop, ΔP/Δt, greater than about 0.2 psi per second, to uniformly induce nucleation of solidification within the material in the plurality of vials; and

cooling of the nucleated material in the plurality of vial or containers to a prescribed final temperature to further solidification.

20. The solidification process of claim 19 wherein the material in the plurality of vials or containers is a solution having one or more dissolved substances contained therein and wherein the step of decreasing the pressure in the chamber further comprises decreasing the pressure in the chamber to uniformly induce nucleation of solidification of one or more of the substances in the solution.

21. A method of controlling the condensation process of a gas within a chamber comprising the steps of:

cooling the gas to a temperature near or below a phase transition temperature in the chamber pressurized above ambient pressure;

decreasing the pressure of the pressurized chamber in 40 seconds or less or at a pressure rate drop, ΔP/Δt, greater than about 0.2 psi per second, to induce nucleation of condensation within the gas; and

continuing cooling of the nucleated gas to a prescribed final temperature to further condensation.