Electrodynamic Trapping of Aerocolloidal Particles: Experimental and Theoretical Trapping Limits

The Freezing of n-Alkanes C15H32 and C17H36: An Unsual Mechanism of Homogeneous Nucleation

The nucleation kinetics of n-alkane droplets with carbon numbers of 15 and 17 was observed in an electrodynamic balance. Changes in the elastic light scattering pattern of the single levitated microdroplets indicate the phase transition liquid to solid. Measurements of the nucleation rates gave information on the dynamics of the nucleation process and allow to propose a new mechanism for the nucleation. Large induction times observed for the C15H32 droplets indicate that the nucleation starts after a solid layer has been built up at the surface.