Nucleation: what happens at the initial stage?
Crystallizing growth: The initial structure of crystal nuclei is supersaturation-dependent. At low degrees of supersaturation, liquid-like nuclei are formed initially, which undergo a continuous structure transition from liquid-like to crystal-like as the size N increases. This gradual structure evolution substantially lowers the nucleation barrier DeltaG* and facilitates the nucleation relative to the formation of crystal-like clusters from the beginning.
Zhang
Tian Hui
TH
Van't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Liu
Xiang Yang
XY