ELECTROCRYSTALLIZATION
Fundamentals of Nucleation and Growth
by Alexander Milchev
The book is an up-to-date introduction to the fundamentals of the initial stages of Electrocrystallization, which are dominated by nucleation and growth of the first clusters of the new phase. It offers a readable exposition of the topic, in simple terms, providing a detailed theoretical description of the phenomena involved. The most relevant aspects of the experimental studies of electrochemical nucleation and growth are considered, as well, including some important methods for acquiring and analyzing experimental results.
Having specific properties quite different from those of bulk materials the small, nano-clusters have always attracted considerable attention and many sophisticated methods have been developed for cluster studies. In spite of this, information on small clusters can still be obtained by simple experiments and the book shows that Electrocrystallization is unique in this respect. In this special case the phase change may be controlled experimentally by controlling the voltage and current, two simple and easily measurable electrical quantities. Certainly, this is what makes electrochemical systems an attractive object of study both from a scientific and from a practical point of view.
Particular points to be emphasized:
· The book offers general formulae for the surface energy excess and for the nucleation work of small clusters that can be used to evaluate these quantities directly from nucleation experiments without a priori assumptions for the clusters’ structure and energy state.
· The atomistic theory of electrochemical nucleation is described in details accounting for the changing number of active sites on the electrode surface. A modified pulse potentiostatic technique providing the possibility to distinguish between the actual process of nucleus formation and the “site birth effect” is proposed.
· The stochastic approach to nucleation is employed to derive general formulae describing the probability distribution of clusters in time and space. A method for interpretation of experimental data obtained from probabilistic experiments is proposed.
· The book contains a simple and comprehensible description of the Stranski-Kaischew theory of the mean separation works. This theory demonstrates the interrelation between the thermodynamic and the molecular kinetic approach to the nucleation phenomena and is extremely illustrative and useful from an educational point of view.
· The general expression for the surface area occupied by the growing clusters (or by nucleation exclusion zones) is derived making use of the stochastic approach of Kolmogorov, which precedes the geometrical derivation of Avarmi and is much shorter and illustrative.
The book is written as a textbook and is suitable not only for specialists in Electrocrystallization but also for graduate and PhD students, as well as for scientists from diverse but related fields like materials science, pure and applied electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, corrosion, electrochemical adsorption, crystal growth etc. College and university lecturers might use the material involved in their own courses on Electrocrystallization.
About the author: Professor Alexander Atanassov Milchev graduated in chemistry from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ochridski" in 1968. In the same year he joined the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences where he is now a full professor and works in the field of Electrocrystallization of metals and alloys carrying out theoretical and experimental studies. He obtained his Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees in the same field. (See CV)
Address:
Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Acad. G.Bonchev Str. bl. 11
1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
E-mail: amilchev@ipc.bas.bg