The continuum theory of nucleation in multicomponent systems

The Cahn-Hilliard continuum theory of nucleation is extended to multicomponent solutions. A system of nonlinear differential equations is derived whose solutions yield the concentration profiles of a critical nucleus and across a flat interface. It is demonstrated that considerable simplifications arise under the assumption of a regular solution. Particular attention is paid to the case of one ideal component in a ternary system. Computations of the work of formation of a critical nucleus indicate that even small additions of a third element to a binary solution can have a significant effect on the nucleation reaction.