Entropic nucleation theory

Abstract Entropic nucleation theory (ENT) differs from classical nucleation theory (CNT) by considering the increase of entropy, instead of the difference in Gibbs free energy between the new and old phases, as the driving force for nucleation. It is formulated with basis on stability conditions of metastable states in terms of given boundary conditions (b.c.). The nucleation process is described by fluctuation theory with the aid of a modified Mollier diagram. For non-homogeneous fluctuating material a more rigorous calculation is presented based on variational methods and an exact analytical result is obtained when the nucleating system is close to the spinodal.