A spherical water droplet of radius is in equilibrium with its vapour at

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Thermal, Statistical & Complex Systems · Condensed Matter, Materials & Soft Matter · Thermodynamic potentials and the formal structure of thermodynamics

Soft Matter at the Thermal Scale, Ch Nucleation and the lifetime of a metastable phase

Problem

A spherical water droplet of radius

r=20\,\mathrm{nm}

is in equilibrium with its vapour at

T=293\,\mathrm{K}

. Take the interfacial tension

\gamma=0.073\,\mathrm{N\,m^{-1}}

and the molecular volume

v_m=3.0\times10^{-29}\,\mathrm{m^3}

. Using the Kelvin equation, calculate the ratio

p_r/p_\infty

of the vapour pressure at this droplet's surface to the flat-surface saturation vapour pressure.

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