FORMATION OF LENTICULAR NUCLEI FROM AN INSOLUBLE MONOLAYER AT THE AIR-WATER-INTERFACE - A MODEL

The formation of lenticular nuclei from insoluble monolayers at the air/water interface has been theoretically investigated. On the basis of the classical nucleation theory it has been derived in which way the stationary nucleation rate depends on the surface pressure, the contact angles, the nucleus-to-surroundings interfacial tensions, the line tension of the three-phase contact air/water/nucleus, and the Zeldovich nonequilibrium factor. From that a method has been derived to obtain the critical size of the nucleus and the free energy of formation of the critical nucleus from the surface pressure dependence of the stationary nucleation rate.