The kinetics of isothermal crystallization of the droplets in polydisperse
emulsions are analyzed under the condition that each emulsion droplet gives
birth to one nucleus only. Expressions are derived for the time dependence
s of the number of crystallized droplets and the fraction of crystallized d
roplet volume in the cases of either volume or surface nucleation of the cr
ystals in the droplets. The time for half-crystallization is determined as
a function of the emulsion polydispersity, and it is found that the more po
lydisperse the emulsion, the shorter this time in comparison with that for
the corresponding monodisperse emulsion. Formulae are also obtained for the
change of the velocity upsilon of propagation of ultrasound through polydi
sperse emulsions during the time t of isothermal crystallization of the dro
plets in them. Good agreement is found between theory and experiment in an
analysis of available upsilon(t) data for crystallization in polydisperse p
alm oil-in-water and n-hexadecane-in-water emulsions. The results obtained
are directly applicable to devitrification and polymorphic transformation o
f disperse solid phases. (C) 1998 Academic Press.