No abstract

The rate of growth of capillary condensates in a model wedgelike pore has been studied using the surface force apparatus. The method described allows the direct measurement of the diffusionlimited growth of liquid condensates with interface radii of curvature as small as 20 nm. The observed rates of condensation of vapors of n-pentane, n-hexane, cyclohexane, and water are close to, but consistently lower than, values calculated from a model based on Langmuir's theory of droplet growth. [S0031-9007(99)

We present an apparatus for measuring the force as a function of distance between surfaces at separations down to the order of molecular dimensions. The device is a simplified yet improved version of the surface force apparatus first developed by Israelachvili and Adams [J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. 1, 74, 975 (1978)]. It gives the same measurement resolution and has the same possibilities of studying various phenomena in thin films such as friction, viscosity, adhesion, and phase transitions. It offers improved performance with regard to control of surface separation and increased versatility by virtue of variable chamber dimensions and geometry.

No abstract

No abstract