Insoluble Condensation Nuclei: The Effect of Contact Angle, Surface Roughness and Adsorption
Abstract
Condensation of water vapor on various surfaces was studied experimentally. For surfaces with an air-water contact angle theta less than 20 degree , the experimentally determined values of critical supersaturation S//c agreed with those given by the Volmer theory. At higher theta , the experimental values of S//c were below the Volmer theory values. When the applied supersaturation was less than S//c, condensation was avoided for periods as long as 20 h. It was determined both by experiment and theoretical analysis that the effect of surface roughness is to decrease S//c only slightly. These results suggest that most insoluble airborne particles are not likely to serve as cloud condensation nuclei.
Recommended Citation
P. C. Mahata and D. J. Alofs, "Insoluble Condensation Nuclei: The Effect of Contact Angle, Surface Roughness and Adsorption," Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, American Meteorological Society, Jan 1975.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1975)032<0116:ICNTEO>2.0.CO;2
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0022-4928
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 1975 American Meteorological Society, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 1975
