Kinetic Theory of Nucleation

Nucleation is a stochastic process that occurs as the first step in the formation of a new thermodynamic phase. Understanding nucleation is important for numerous practical applications such as preparation of metallic powders that can serve as catalysts and control formation of calcium carbonate to prevent CO2 from entering the atmosphere. The existing classical theory has many shortcomings which restrict its application. The book provides new insight in the theory of nucleation that is critally important for the field. The book is organized to allow the reader to follow the development of the mathematical tools of the suggested approach and how these tools are applied to specific problems.

National Medal of Science winner and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Eli Ruckenstein's copious and pioneering contributions to chemical engineering have been rewarded with numerous distinctions, including the 2004 National Academy of Engineering Founders Award, the 2002 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Founder's Award, AIChE's 1988 Walker Award, the 1977 AIChE’s Alpha Chi Sigma Award, the 1986 American Chemical Society's (ACS) Kendall Award, the 1994 ACS Langmuir Lecture Award, the 1996 ACS E.V. Murphree Award, the 1985 the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Senior Humboldt Award, and the 1985 NSF Creativity Award. Ruckenstein joined the School's faculty in 1973, and was the first full-time SUNY system professor elected to the National Academy of Engineering. A leading influential chemical engineer, he has made numerous contributions to modernizing research and development in key areas of chemical engineering. He is a fellow of AIChE which with the occasion of its 100th anniversary designated him as one of 50 eminent chemical engineers of the Foundation age. Dr. Ruckenstein published about 900 papers in various areas of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Dr. Gersh Berim received his Ph.D in Physics in 1978 from Kazan State University, Russia. Until 2001, his research was focused on nonequilibrium properties of low dimensional spin system. In 2001 he joined the group of Professor Eli Ruckenstein at SUNY Buffalo where he has been studying various topics of Chemical Physics especially related to nanosystems. He has authored or coauthored more than 60 papers.