Mp. Anisimov et al., Experimental determination of the surface energy of critical nuclei duringthe nucleation of supersaturated vapor, COLL J, 63(2), 2001, pp. 131-136
Theoretical substantiation of the empirical method for determining the surf
ace (or excess) energy of critical nuclei was performed within the framewor
k of thermodynamic approach. Characteristics of critical nuclei were determ
ined based on the studies of the nucleation of supersaturated vapors of gly
cerol in the vicinity of its melting point and the critical temperature of
carrier gas. The effect of the specific features of physicochemical paramet
ers of the studied substance and carrier gas on the parameters of critical
nuclei was revealed. Experimental values of the surface energy of critical
nuclei were compared with those calculated by the droplet model. The necess
ity for the allowance for the temperature dependence of the surface energy
of critical nuclei was demonstrated. It was noted that the largest deviatio
n from the predictions of droplet model arises at small (about 10) numbers
of molecules in a critical nucleus; as the size of a nucleus increases, the
surface energy, in the limiting ease, tends to physically correct value.