Electrocrystallisation under conditions of twinning nucleation

The possibility of the formation of nuclei in the twinning position is discussed for the polynuclear mechanism in electrocrystallisation. Some possible experimental consequences are drawn.     

Influence of initial conditions on homogeneous nucleation kinetics in a closed system

The formation of nuclei of a new phase from the supersaturated mother phase in a closed system is studied. The depletion of the mother phase due to phase transition is taken into account. Basic kinetic equations describing such process are solved numerically to determine the number density of nuclei of newly forming phase and nucleation rate. It is shown that in contrary to the standard nucleation model, when the depletion of the mother phase is not taken into account, the initial size distribution of the clusters affects considerably the nucleation process at higher supersaturations. Our model starts with the equilibrium size distribution of clusters up to various cluster sizes in the undercritical region. At lower supersaturation the formation of nuclei is similar to the standard model because of the low depletion of the mother phase. At higher supersaturation, the depletion of the mother phase plays an important role and some extremal value appears at the size distribution of nuclei, which is not observed in the standard model. The extremum in the size distribution is not a consequence of the coalescence process itself, but it is caused rather by the depletion of the mother phase during the phase transformation.     

Polynuclear crystal growth in electrocrystallization of silver: Determining the nucleus size via the nucleation theorem

We employ the nucleation theorem for a model-independent determination of the size of the two-dimensional (2D) Ag nucleus with the aid of experimental data for nucleation-mediated electrochemical crystal growth. The growth is investigated of a screw dislocation-free Ag(100) single crystal face in aqueous solution of AgNO₃ at 318 K. The data are for the stationary values of the overpotential during galvanostatic pulses with sufficiently high amplitudes to ensure polynuclear growth mechanism. It is found that the Gibbs-Thomson equation of the classical theory of 2D nucleation describes very well the experimentally obtained overpotential dependence of the size of the 2D Ag nucleus. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 698–703. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Effects of solvent on TEOS hydrolysis kinetics and silica particle size under basic conditions

In-situ liquid-state ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance was used to investigate the temporal concentration changes during ammonia-catalyzed initial hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate in different solvents (methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol and n-butanol). Dynamic light scattering was employed to monitor simultaneous changes in the average diameter of silica particles and atomic force microscopy was used to image the particles within this time frame. Solvent effects on initial hydrolysis kinetics, size and polydispersity of silica particles were discussed in terms of polarity and hydrogen-bonding characteristics of the solvents. Initial hydrolysis rate and average particle size increased with molecular weight of the primary alcohols. In comparison, lower hydrolysis rate and larger particle size were obtained in the secondary alcohol. Exceptionally, reactions in methanol exhibited the highest hydrolysis rate and the smallest particle size. Ultimately, our investigation elaborated, and hence confirmed, the influences of chemical structure and nature of the solvent on the formation and growth of the silica particles under applied conditions.     

Water vapor nucleation on ion pairs under the conditions of a planar nanopore

Computer simulation has been employed to study the effect of a confined space of a planar model pore with structureless hydrophobic walls on the hydration of Na⁺Cl^– ion pairs in water vapor at room temperature. A detailed many-body model of intermolecular interactions has been used. The model has been calibrated relative to experimental data on the free energy and enthalpy of the initial reactions of water molecule attachment to ions and the results of quantum-chemical calculations of the geometry and energy of Na⁺Cl^– (H₂O)_N clusters in stable configurations, as well as spectroscopic data on Na⁺Cl^– dimer vibration frequencies. The free energy and work of hydration, as well as the adsorption curve, have been calculated from the first principles by the bicanonical statistical ensemble method. The dependence of hydration shell size on interionic distance has been calculated by the method of compensation potential. The transition between the states of a contact (CIP) and a solvent-separated ion pair (SSIP) has been reproduced under the conditions of a nanopore. The influence of the pore increases with the hydration shell size and leads to the stabilization of the SSIP states, which are only conditionally stable in bulk water vapor.     

How to understand nucleation in crystallizing polymer melts under real processing conditions

As has been shown experimentally in our laboratory, the number of athermal nuclei, as found in unnucleated quiescent melts, increases tremendously with decreasing temperatures of crystallization, down to severe degrees of undercooling. One cannot assume that the presence of heterogeneous nuclei can explain this horrible temperature dependence. Moreover, one can conclude that the number fraction of macromolecules participating in these athermal nuclei is extremely low. Macroscopically, these nuclei seem to form a number of spots in a sea of homogeneous undercooled liquid.In the present paper the proposal is made that this number can be estimated from the probability of the occurrence of local molecular arrangements of varying quality, which preexist by accidence in a so-called living equilibrium in the stable melt, i.e. above the equilibrium melting point. During a rapid quench, realistic for processing conditions, these local arrangements are successively stabilized and serve as precursors for the start of crystallization. Dependent on their quality, this stabilization occurs over a broad range of crystallization temperatures. A selection rule for their effectiveness is derived from thermodynamics. In addition, reasons are discussed for the observed strong influence of flow on the formation of nuclei. From the "short-term" creep experiments, which are successful even at low degrees of undercooling, the impression has been obtained that during flow an unimaginable long-distance mechanical interaction becomes effective between the nuclei of crystallization. However, a more convincing explanation has been found recently: it is described at the end of this paper.Dedicated to Prof. Joseph H. Magill, Pittsburgh, PA, in gratitude for his ungrudging interest in this work     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) under the influence of self-seeding nucleation

The effect of self-seeding nucleation on the crystallization behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) was studied. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the crystallization temperature of PTT notably increased after self-seeding nucleation. Avrami equation was applied in the analysis of the isothermal crystallization process of PTT. The resulting average value of the Avrami exponent at n = 3.34 suggests that primary crystallization may correspond to a three-dimensional spherulitic growth. Self-seeding nucleation, leading to a decrease in active energy for crystallization and chain folding work, promotes the overall crystallization process of PTT. Translated from Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2006, (3): 414–417 (in Chinese)     

Nucleation in electrochemical growth of the Ag(100) crystal face: determining the nucleus size via the nucleation theorem

We employ the nucleation theorem for a model-independent determination of the size of the two-dimensional (2D) Ag nucleus with the aid of experimental data for the nucleation-mediated electrochemical growth of the Ag(100) crystal face in aqueous solution of AgNO(3) at 318 K. These data are for the stationary rate of 2D nucleation, for the initial portion of the potentiostatic current transient pertaining to atomically smooth face, and for the galvanostatic current corresponding to stationary growth of the face. It turns out that the 2D nucleus is constituted of 17-64 Ag atoms when the overpotential is in the range of 12-22.4 mV. Upon expressing the overpotential in terms of supersaturation, it is found that the experimental data for the size of the 2D Ag nucleus are in conformity with existing simulation data for the size of the 2D nucleus on the (100) face of Kossel crystal (the simulation nucleus contains 1-30 atoms). It is found as well that the Gibbs-Thomson equation of the classical theory of 2D nucleation describes very well the supersaturation dependence of the size of both the Ag and the simulation nucleus.     

Nonclassical nucleation kinetics in the crystallization of a supercooled melt

A molecular dynamics simulation of homogenous nucleation of a crystal in supercooled aluminum melt is performed. Nucleation rates at a temperature of 900 K in the range of pressures from 12 to 15 GPa are calculated. Analysis of the mean first-passage times of crystalline cluster sizes is performed. A stepwise dependence of the mean first-passage time on crystal nucleus size is observed, in contrast to the sigmoidal dependence that follows from classical nucleation theory. Based on the data from atomistic simulations, it is established that the form of the free energy barrier during nucleation differs significantly from the one assumed in classical nucleation theory for a spherically symmetric nucleus. It is supposed that the observed differences are apparently due to the complex structure of the crystalline nucleus.     

On the kinetics of apatite growth on substrates under physiological conditions

Derived from reaction kinetics, a simple but useful method, based on "apatite forming capacity" or AFC of solutions mimicking blood plasma, is proposed to decipher the rate of calcium phosphate mineralization. Apatite growth rate constants were calculated using this method for a model composite surface varying the volume fraction of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) in a polymer matrix. Previously reported data for mineralized surfaces on Ta, Ti, and its alloys are also analyzed similarly and compared. Utilizing the growth rate constant, the bioactivity of the materials was indexed in vitro. Complementarily, semiempirical quantum mechanical calculation (ZINDO method) showed that the interaction of cations with TRIS-hydroxymethyl aminomethane molecules in the solution is stronger than that with the polymer substrate considered, but weaker than hydrated Ti and TiO(2) surfaces. This analysis then quantifies for example the extent of polymer inertness and the "bioactivity" of alkali treated Ti. The growth rate constants for the model materials prepared in this work are explained on the basis of localized dissolution of HA, the amount of which simply increases with increasing volume fraction of HA in the composite.     

Determination of corrosion current in general corrosion under the conditions of mixed kinetics

A possibility of determining the corrosion current density in the case that cathodic reaction proceeds under the conditions of mixed kinetics is analyzed using the equation proposed by Nagy and Thomas and the method of fitting. By the examples of model and real corrosion systems, it is shown that, under certain conditions, this approach enables one to estimate the corrosion current density and the cathodic diffusion limiting current density with regard for the contributions of cathodic and anodic reactions to the corrosion current on the stationary electrode, in particular, in the absence of Tafel region in the cathodic polarization curve.     

On the steady-state solutions of the kinetics of homogeneous nucleation

A general solution to the steady-state equations for the kinetics of homogeneous nucleation is determined, in agreement with irreversible thermodynamics. Most of the steady-state distributions of clusters present a minimum. Our theory provides a conjecture for understanding the apparent contradictions existing in the present experimental data.     

Modeling the kinetics of bubble nucleation in champagne and carbonated beverages

In champagne and carbonated beverages, bubble nucleation was mostly found to take place from tiny Taylor-like bubbles trapped inside immersed cellulose fibers stuck on the glass wall. The present paper complements a previous paper about the thorough examination of the bubble nucleation process in a flute poured with champagne (Liger-Belair et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005, 109, 14573). In this previous paper, a model was built that accurately reproduces the dynamics of these tiny Taylor-like bubbles that grow inside the fiber's lumen by diffusion of CO(2)-dissolved molecules. In the present paper, by use of the model recently developed, the frequency of bubble formation from cellulose fibers is accessed and linked with various liquid and fiber parameters, namely, the concentration c(L) of CO(2)-dissolved molecules, the liquid temperature theta, its viscosity eta, the ambient pressure P, the course of the gas pocket growing trapped inside the fiber's lumen before releasing a bubble, and the radius r of the fiber's lumen. The relative influence of the latter parameters on the bubbling frequency is discussed and supported with recent experimental observations and data.     

Actual activation energy of electrode process under mixed kinetics conditions

In the case of a single-electron reaction with account for slow diffusion of reagents, equations for actual (experimentally determined) activation energies of two types were derived and analyzed: real energy A f, i.e., the energy measured at a constant electrode polarization value η = const) and formal energy (Ω_f, i.e., the value measured at a constant value of potential vs. an ambiguously chosen reference electrode E = const). It is found that under the conditions of a sufficiently significant deviation from equilibrium, the actual activation energy A _f is the weighted arithmetic mean of the diffusion activation energy and the sum of A ₀ + αFη (where A ₀ is the real activation energy of the discharge stage at polarization of η = 0); herewith, the weighting coefficients are the corresponding values of the current of the discharge stage and the limiting diffusion current. A similar relationship is also obtained for Ω_f. It is found that the A _f, η- and Ω_f, E-curves can in a number of cases feature regions with the negative A _f and Ω_f values in the mixed kinetics range.     

Precursor conversion kinetics and the nucleation of cadmium selenide nanocrystals

The kinetics of cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanocrystal formation was studied using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy integrated with an automated, high-throughput synthesis platform. Reaction of anhydrous cadmium octadecylphosphonate (Cd-ODPA) with alkylphosphine selenides (1, tri-n-octylphosphine selenide; 2, di-n-butylphenylphosphine selenide; 3, n-butyldiphenylphosphine selenide) in recrystallized tri-n-octylphosphine oxide was monitored by following the absorbance of CdSe at λ = 350 nm, where the extinction coefficient is independent of size, and the disappearance of the selenium precursor using {(1)H}(31)P NMR spectroscopy. Our results indicate that precursor conversion limits the rate of nanocrystal nucleation and growth. The initial precursor conversion rate (Q(o)) depends linearly on [1] (Q(o)(1) = 3.0-36 μM/s) and decreases as the number of aryl groups bound to phosphorus increases (1 > 2 > 3). Changes to Q(o) influence the final number of nanocrystals and thus control particle size. Using similar methods, we show that changing [ODPA] has a negligible influence on precursor reactivity while increasing the growth rate of nuclei, thereby decreasing the final number of nanocrystals. These results are interpreted in light of a mechanism where the precursors react in an irreversible step that supplies the reaction medium with a solute form of the semiconductor.     

The kinetics of Ln2O3 Hydration under mild conditions

The kinetics of Ln₂O₃ hydration (Ln=Sm, Ho, Yb, Lu) have been studied at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, as have the influence of the activation temperature and the method of preparation of the oxides.The best correlation coefficients are obtained for a diffusion mechanism. If a structural relationship between the C-Ln₂O₃ and their precursors is considered, the possibility arises of the existence of defect planes in the oxides prepared from the hydroxide and carbonate. This facilitates the hydration process through a diffusion mechanism in the case of the rare earth sesquioxides prepared from the above precursors.

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Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik der Hydratisierung von Ln₂O₃ (Ln=Sm, Ho, Yb, Lu) wurde bei Raumtemperatur und atmosphärischem Druck bezüglich des Einflusses der Aktivierungstemperatur und der Art der Darstellung der Oxide untersucht. Die besten Korrelationskoeffizienten werden für einen Diffusionsmechanismus erhalten. Wenn die strukturelle Beziehung zwischen den C-Ln₂O₃ in Betracht gezogen wird, so ergibt sich die Möglichkeit der Existenz von defekten Gitterebenen in den aus Hydroxiden und Carbonaten hergestellten Oxiden. Dies erleichtert den Hydratisierungsprozeß durch einen Diffusionsmechanismus im Falle von aus den oben genannten Vorstufen hergestellten Sesquioxiden der Seltenen Erdmetalle.

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Ln₂O₃, Ln=Sm, Ho, Yb, Lu, . . , , . .

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We thank the CAICYT (Project No. 1377/82) for financial support.     

A highly efficient Pd-C catalytic hydrogenation of pyridine nucleus under mild conditions

A synergistic Pd-C catalytic hydrogenation of 4-pyridinecarboxamides straightforward to 4-piperidinecarboxamide hydrochlorides was developed in the presence of ClCH₂CHCl₂. It provided a novel strategy for highly efficient hydrogenation of pyridine nuclear by using low-cost Pd-C catalyst under mild conditions.     

Effect of the surface-stimulated mode on the kinetics of homogeneous crystal nucleation in droplets

The thermodynamics of surface-stimulated crystal nucleation demonstrates that if at least one of the facets of the crystal is only partially wettable by its melt, then it is thermodynamically more favorable for the nucleus to form with that facet at the droplet surface rather than within the droplet. So far, however, the kinetic aspects of this phenomenon had not been studied at all. In the present paper, a kinetic theory of homogenous crystal nucleation in unary droplets is proposed by taking into account that a crystal nucleus can form not only in the volume-based mode (with all its facets within the droplet) but also in the surface-stimulated one (with one of its facets at the droplet surface). The theory advocates that even in the surface-stimulated mode crystal nuclei initially emerge (as subcritical clusters) homogeneously in the subsurface layer, not "pseudo-heterogeneously" at the surface. A homogeneously emerged subcritical crystal can become a surface-stimulated nucleus due to density and structure fluctuations. This effect contributes to the total rate of crystal nucleation (as the volume-based mode does). An explicit expression for the total per-particle rate of crystal nucleation is derived. Numerical evaluations for water droplets suggest that the surface-stimulated mode can significantly enhance the per-particle rate of crystal nucleation in droplets as large as 10 microm in radius. Possible experimental verification of the proposed theory is discussed.