Abstract: This paper presents the application of a novel conductance detector together with a self-made conductance probe, for studying the homogeneous nucleation of Al(OH)3 from supersaturated sodium aluminate solution under isothermal, batch crystallization conditions. The effects of supersaturation on indication period were examined. The nucleation kinetics showed a (4±1)-order dependence upon Al2O3 relative supersaturation and an interfacial energy of (40.6±2.0) mJ·m-2, which were used to predict the critical nucleus size of (1.1±0.2) nm at 323 K, S>3.8. These results were consistent with those in literatures, indicating the satisfactory reliability and sensitivity of the apparatus.

Key words: Sodiumaluminate solution, Homogeneous nucleation, Measuring online, Conductance