Generic mechanism of heterogeneous nucleation and molecular interfacial effects

A generic mechanism of heterogeneous nucleation is considered based on thermodynamic and kinetic theories along with applications of the theory to crystal growth and crystallization. In terms of a so-called interface correlation factor f(m,R') and the entropic barriers associated with kink integration, both classic and non-classic interfacial effects and particle size effect are treated quantitatively. Within the framework of this mechanism, homogenous nucleation of the crystalline phase can be regarded as a special case of heterogeneous nucleation.