Kinetic Theory of Nucleation

Explore a Kinetic Approach to the Description of Nucleation – An Alternative to the Classical Nucleation Theory

Kinetic Theory of Nucleation presents an alternative to the classical theory of nucleation in gases and liquids―the kinetic nucleation theory of Ruckenstein–Narsimhan–Nowakowski (RNNT). RNNT uses the kinetic theory of fluids to calculate the rate of evaporation of molecules from clusters, and unlike the classical nucleation theory (CNT), does not require macroscopic thermodynamics or the detailed balance principle. The book compares the rates of evaporation of molecules from―and condensation on―the surface of a nucleus of a new phase, and explains how this alternate approach can provide much higher nucleation rates than the CNT. It applies RNNT to various case studies that include the liquid-to-solid and vapor-to-liquid phase transitions, binary nucleation, heterogeneous nucleation, nucleation on soluble particles and protein folding. It also describes the system, introduces the basic equations of the kinetic theory, and defines a new model for the nucleation mechanism of protein folding.

Adaptable to coursework as well as self-study, this insightful book:

• Uses a kinetic approach to calculate the rate of growth and decay of a cluster
• Includes description of vapor-to-liquid and liquid-to-solid nucleation
• Outlines the application of density-functional theory (DFT) methods to nucleation
• Proposes the combination of the new kinetic theory of nucleation with the DFT methods
• Illustrates the new theory with numerical calculations
• Describes the model for the nucleation mechanism of protein folding, and more

A comprehensive guide dedicated to the kinetic theory of nucleation and cluster growth, Kinetic Theory of Nucleation emphasizes the basic concepts of the kinetic nucleation theory, incorporates findings developed from years of research and experience, and is written by highly-regarded experts.

Eli Ruckenstein is a State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Professor at the SUNY at Buffalo. He has published more than 1000 papers in numerous areas of engineering science and has received a large number of awards from the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Dr. Ruckenstein has also received the Founders Gold Medal Award from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Medal of Science from President Clinton. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the American Academy of Art and Sciences.

Gersh Berim earned his PhD in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics from Kazan State University in Russia in 1978. He has authored or coauthored 70+ papers. His research interests include statics, kinetics, and dynamics of low-dimensional spin systems, kinetic theory of nucleation, and wetting at the nanoscale. Since 2001, he has been working in the group of Dr. Ruckenstein at SUNY at Buffalo. Previously, he was a visiting research scholar at the Institute of Physics "Gleb Wataghin" of the University of Campinas, Brazil (1995–1996), and at the Institute of Theoretical Physics I of the University of Erlangen, Germany (1998–2000).