Systematical calculations of the small droplets' surface tension of the Lennard-Jones liquid have been performed depending on the equimolar radius (Re) and temperature (T) by the method of molecular dynamics. The surface tension was shown to decrease with decreasing droplet's equimolar radius up to zero for a certain temperature dependent R0. The ratio of the surface tension of a droplet to the surface tension of a plane liquid-vapor boundary (σ/σ∞) is a universal function of the ratio of the droplet equimolar radius to R0. Approximation formulae for functions σ/σ∞ = f(Re/R0) and R0(T) are proposed.
surface tension, nucleation, molecular dynamics method