Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8148767 | Journal of Crystal Growth | 2018 | 15 Pages |
Abstract
The induction time and metastable zone width (MSZW) measured for small samples (say 1â¯mL or less) both scatter widely. Thus, these two are observed as stochastic quantities. Whereas, for large samples (say 1000â¯mL or more), the induction time and MSZW are observed as deterministic quantities. The reason for such experimental differences is investigated with Monte Carlo simulation. In the simulation, the time (under isothermal condition) and supercooling (under polythermal condition) at which a first single crystal is detected are defined as the induction time t and the MSZW ÎT for small samples, respectively. The number of crystals just at the moment of t and ÎT is unity. A first crystal emerges at random due to the intrinsic nature of nucleation, accordingly t and ÎT become stochastic. For large samples, the time and supercooling at which the number density of crystals N/V reaches a detector sensitivity (N/V)det are defined as t and ÎT for isothermal and polythermal conditions, respectively. The points of t and ÎT are those of which a large number of crystals have accumulated. Consequently, t and ÎT become deterministic according to the law of large numbers. Whether t and ÎT may stochastic or deterministic in actual experiments should not be attributed to change in nucleation mechanisms in molecular level. It could be just a problem caused by differences in the experimental definition of t and ÎT.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Condensed Matter Physics
Authors
Noriaki Kubota,