Homogeneous nucleation in a Poiseuille flow

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Nucleation is vital for synthesizing nanomaterials like quantum dots and nanocrystals.
• Understanding nucleation in dynamic environments, such as fluid flow, is critical for manufacturing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of low Reynolds number fluid flow on homogeneous nucleation within a circular microchannel.
• To incorporate configuration entropy and microcluster energies into Gibbs free energy calculations for nucleation.

Main Methods:

• Development of an analytical equation for critical nucleus size determination based on classical nucleation theory.
• Incorporation of momentum-phase space configuration entropy, kinetic energy, and strain energy.
• Numerical analysis of sucrose microcluster nucleation in an aqueous solution within a microchannel.

Main Results:

• An analytical solution for critical nucleus size in liquid nucleation was derived.
• Kinetic and strain energy contributions were found to be negligible for solid nucleus formation.
• Numerical results showed a decrease in critical nucleus size and work of formation with increasing distance from the channel's axis.

Conclusions:

• Fluid flow dynamics, specifically in microchannels, can be modeled to predict nucleation behavior.
• The derived analytical framework provides insights into controlling nanomaterial formation through fluid manipulation.
• The study highlights the spatial variation of nucleation parameters within a flowing system.