Condensation of Supersaturated Water Vapor on Charged/Neutral Nanoparticles of Glucose and Monosodium Glutamate

Abstract

The effects of size, charge, dissolution, and dissociation on the condensation of supersaturated water vapor on monodisperse nanoparticles of glucose and monosodium glutamate (MSG) were investigated in a flow cloud chamber (FCC). The dependence of the critical supersaturation, S cr, on particle size in the range of 30 to 90 nm and on temperature in the range of 10 to 50°C were determined experimentally. The results show that the experimental S cr decreases with increasing particle size at a rate in reasonable agreement with the predictions of the Kohler and Volmer theories of nucleation for soluble particles, but decreases with increasing temperature at a rate higher than the prediction of the Volmer theory. The dissociation of MSG into ions lowers the experimental S cr to a value smaller than that for the more soluble glucose, agreeing with predictions. The experimental S cr is smaller than the predictions of both theories, and the discrepancy cannot be fully explained by the reductions in surface tension due to the dissolution of particles and curvature dependence. The condensation of supersaturated vapor on singly positively charged particles with diameters of 30, 60, and 90 nm was also examined, and no obvious charge effect on S cr was observed.