Quantitative characterization of critical nanoclusters nucleated on large single molecules.
First order phase transitions involve nucleation, formation of nanoscale regions of a new phase within a metastable parent phase. Using the heterogeneous nucleation theorem we show how clusters formed by nucleation on single molecules evolve from the gas phase and determine the critical size beyond which condensation starts to form aerosol particles. Our experiments reveal the activation of molecules into droplets to happen via formation of critical clusters substantially larger than the seed molecule. The nanosized critical clusters were found to be well predicted by the Kelvin-Thomson relation pointing directly to the key step in the phase transition.
document
https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d71c1xg2
eng
geoscientificInformation
Text
publication
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z
publication
2012-02-24T00:00:00Z
Copyright 2012 American Physical Society.
None
OpenSky Support
UCAR/NCAR - Library
PO Box 3000
Boulder
80307-3000
name: homepage
pointOfContact
OpenSky Support
UCAR/NCAR - Library
PO Box 3000
Boulder
80307-3000
name: homepage
pointOfContact
2025-07-15T21:37:11.547169