Homogeneous nucleation rates of n-pentanol in nitrogen measured in a piston-expansion tube

Homogeneous nucleation rates of n-pentanol in nitrogen are presented. They are obtained from a piston-expansion tube (pex-tube) involving the nucleation pulse method which generates a limited number of nuclei that grow into droplets. The detection of the droplets is achieved by a new counting method developed on the basis of a CCD camera in combination with a laser light sheet. Nucleation rates between 104 and 109 cm−3 s−1 are covered for three nucleation temperatures 250, 260, and 270 K. The rates are plotted as isotherms vs supersaturation. Influence of the initial expansion temperature and the nucleation pressure on the nucleation rate is identified. Comparison with results available in literature and classical nucleation theory (CNT) is provided.