EFFECT OF A CURVED PHASE-BOUNDARY ON SURFACE-TENSION AND KINETICS OF NUCLEATION IN LIQUIDS

Expressions for calculating the Tolman correction in terms of the ther modynamic properties of liquid and gas on the coexistence curve are ob tained within the modified Van der Waals theory of surface tension. It is demonstrated that the size effect in surface tension leads to a si gnificant decrease of the nucleation barrier however, it is not the on ly factor responsible for the experimentally observed differences betw een the temperatures of attainable overheat of liquid and the spinodal curve.