Insights into the Role of Dipentaerythritol in the Thermodynamics and Nucleation Behavior of a Pentaerythritol–Water System

The experimental metastable zone widths of PE–DPE–H2O systems were measured by a polythermal method, and the nucleation behavior of pentaerythritol (PE) and the influence of dipentaerythritol (DPE) on the critical nucleus parameters were analyzed on the basis of modified Sangwal’s model and classical nucleation theory, respectively. The results reveal that the dissolved DPE molecules can significantly increase the nucleation solid–liquid interfacial energy γ from 3.93 to 5.51 mJ/m2, increasing the critical nucleus size rcrit and free energy ΔGcrit, and inhibit the nucleation process.