Kinetic study of phase transformation of n-octane using hydrothermal diamond anvil cell

Abstract

A kinetic study of phase transformation of n-octane has been performed using a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell. The results show that pressure has a negative effect on the solid–liquid reaction rate. The increase of pressure can accelerate the liquid–solid transformation rate. Upon the liquid–solid transformation, the light transmittance showed a decreased trend with time in the early stage, which was caused by the formation of a large quantity of crystal nuclei. In the later stage, the light transmittance almost remained the same, thus indicating a growth stage of crystal nuclei. The activation volume yields a value of 2.16×10−5 and –1.35×10−5 m3/mol for the solid–liquid and liquid–solid transformations. Based on the obtained activation energy, the solid–liquid transformation is dominated by the interfacial reaction and diffusion, and the liquid–solid transformation is controlled by diffusion. This technique is an effective and powerful tool for the transformation kinetics study of n-octane.