Overview
In thermodynamics, nucleation is the first step in the formation of either a new thermodynamic phase or structure via self-assembly or self-organisation within a substance or mixture. Nucleation is typically defined as the process that determines how long an observer must wait before a new phase or self-organised structure appears. For example, if a volume of water is cooled significantly below 0 °C, it will tend to freeze into ice. Still, volumes of water cooled only a few degrees below 0 °C often stay completely free of ice for long periods (supercooling). Under these conditions, nucleation of ice is either slow or does not occur at all. However, at lower temperatures nucleation is fast, and ice crystals appear after little or no delay.