Nucleation and growth by diffusion under Ostwald-Freundlich boundary condition

Masao Iwamatsu

doi:10.1063/1.4865108

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arXiv · 1401.7729

Nucleation and growth by diffusion under Ostwald-Freundlich boundary condition

Masao Iwamatsu

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Abstract

The critical radius of a nucleus grown by diffusion in a solution is studied thermodynamically as well as kinetically. The thermodynamic growth equation called Zeldovich equation of classical nucleation theory (CNT) and the kinetic diffusional growth equation combined with the Ostwald-Freundlich boundary condition lead to the same critical radius. However, it should be pointed out that the diffusional equation may lead to a kinetic critical radius that is different from the thermodynamic critical radius, thus indicating the possibility of kinetically controlling the critical radius of a nucleus.

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Masao Iwamatsu. 2014-01-30. Nucleation and growth by diffusion under Ostwald-Freundlich boundary condition. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4865108

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