Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Nucleation of a new phase on a surface that is changing irreversibly with time
1Department of Physics, University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Nucleation of a new phase almost always starts at a surface. This surface is almost always assumed not to change with time. However, surfaces can roughen, partially dissolve, and change chemically with time. Each of these irreversible changes will change the nucleation rate at the surface, resulting in a time-dependent nucleation rate. Here we use a simple model to show that partial surface dissolution can qualitatively change the nucleation process in a way that is testable in experiment. The changing surface means that the nucleation rate is increasing with time. There is an initial period during which no nucleation occurs, followed by relatively rapid nucleation.
Related Concept Videos
Phase Changes
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Phase Diagram
Phase Diagram

