Surface Tension of
the Vapor–Liquid Interface
with Finite Curvature
D. I. Zhukhovitskii
Institute of High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Izhorskaya 13/19, Moscow, 125412 Russia
Abstract—Based on the
division of particles into internal and surface particles, the expression is
derived clos-
ing the system of equations of classical thermodynamics for
curvature-dependent surface tension, equimolar
radius, and radius of tension
surface. A solution to this system allows one to find the surface tension of new
phase nucleus of any size (including minimal) and any sign of surface
curvature. The obtained results indicate
the weak size dependence of
thermodynamic parameters that are the functions of surface tension; it is shown
that Tolman’s length cannot be determined using experimental determination
of these parameters. It is shown
that the work of nucleus formation strongly
depends on its size and is the function of effective rather than true
surface tension. Numerical simulation of clusters by the molecular dynamics
method indicates that the pressure
inside a fairly small cluster is
described by Laplace’s formula with the coefficient of surface tension for the
plane surface of a liquid that agrees with the proposed
theory.