Nucleation kinetics of high linoleic and high oleic polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) mixtures were investigated during melt crystallization by means of a focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) sensor. Samples were analyzed thermally and chemically in the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and gas chromatograph (GC), respectively. Investigations showed that a high oleic content in the PUFA mixtures lead to higher induction times, τ i . Unlike previous investigations, a clear relation between τ i and cooling rates was established: τ i increases with increasing cooling rates and decreasing supercooling. Activation energies of nucleation, ΔG c ′, were determined by means of the Fisher Turnbull equation wherein ΔG c ′ decreases exponentially with increasing supercooling. Investigations and further evaluations conclude that while the plot establishes the effect of supercooling on ΔG c ′, it does not incorporate the effects of molecular diffusion or the cooling rate. Hence, 3D modeling was performed to visualize the combined effects of cooling rate and supercooling on induction time.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.