par Lutsko, James
Référence Journal of Chemical Physics, 137, page (154903)
Publication Publié, 2012
Référence Journal of Chemical Physics, 137, page (154903)
Publication Publié, 2012
Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : | A recently formulated description of homogeneous nucleation for Brownian particles in the over-damped limit based on fluctuating hydrodynamics is used to determine the nucleation pathway, characterized as the most likely path (MLP), for the nucleation of a dense-concentration droplet of globular protein from a dilute solution in a small, finite container. The calculations are performed by directly discretizing the equations for the MLP and it is found that they confirm previous results obtained for infinite systems: the process of homogeneous nucleation begins with a long-wavelength, spatially-extended concentration fluctuation that condenses to form the pre-critical cluster. This is followed by a classical growth processes. The calculations show that the post-critical growth involves the formation of a depletion zone around the cluster whereas no such depletion is observed in the pre-critical cluster. The approach therefore captures dynamical effects not found in classical density functional theory studies while consistently describing the formation of the pre-critical cluster. © 2012 American Institute of Physics. |