Capillary condensation from vapor has been studied at temperatures below the bulk melting point T
m of the
condensing substance using a surface force apparatus. Both mica and mica modified by self-assembly of a
fluorinated surfactant (perfluoro-1H,1H,2H,2H-decylpyridinium chloride) have been used as substrate surfaces.
The condensing liquids, cyclooctane and menthol, nearly wet (contact angle <15°) mica but show a high
(∼60°) contact angle on the fluorinated surface. As in previous studies with unmodified mica, we find that
both cyclooctane and menthol condense as liquids below T
m, and that the size of the condensates at solid−vapor coexistence is limited and inversely proportional to the temperature depression below T
m, or ΔT. A
comparison of the size of the condensates between the fluorocarbon surfaces and the mica surfaces and the
quantitative dependence of the size of the condensate on ΔT for cyclooctane lead us to conclude that the
maximum condensate size is determined by the equilibrium between condensed, “supercooled” liquid and
vapor, and is hence proportional to the surface tension of the liquid−vapor interface. From a consideration
of the equilibrium between a liquid and a hypothetical solid condensate, it is concluded that a solid condensate
does not usually form for kinetic reasons although two exceptions were found in earlier work.