Nucleation dynamics of water nanodroplets

Microsc Microanal. 2014 Apr;20(2):407-15. doi: 10.1017/S1431927614000476. Epub 2014 Mar 26.

Abstract

The origin of the condensation of water begins at the nanoscale, a length-scale that is challenging to probe for liquids. In this work we directly image heterogeneous nucleation of water nanodroplets by in situ transmission electron microscopy. Using gold nanoparticles bound to a flat surface as heterogeneous nucleation sites, we observe nucleation and growth of water nanodroplets. The growth of nanodroplet radii follows the power law: R(t)~(t-t 0) β , where β~0.2-0.3.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't