Providing a comprehensive introduction with the necessary background material to make it accessible for a wide scientific audience, Kinetics of Phase Transitions discusses developments in domain-growth kinetics. This book combines pedagogical chapters from leading experts in this area and focuses on incorporating various experimentally releva

A clear, concise and rigorous textbook covering phase transitions in the context of advances in electronic structure and statistical mechanics.

The formation of solids is governed by kinetic processes, which are closely related to the macroscopic behaviour of the resulting materials. With the main focus on ease of understanding, the author begins with the basic processes at the atomic level to illustrate their connections to material properties. Diffusion processes during crystal growth and phase transformations are examined in detail. Since the underlying mathematics are very complex, approximation methods typically used in practice are the prime choice of approach. Apart from metals and alloys, the book places special emphasis on the growth of thin films and bulk crystals, which are the two main pillars of modern device and semiconductor technology. All the presented phenomena are tied back to the basic thermodynamic properties of the materials and to the underlying physical processes for clarity.

Phase Transition Dynamics, first published in 2002, provides a fully comprehensive treatment of the study of phase transitions. Building on the statistical mechanics of phase transitions, covered in many introductory textbooks, it will be essential reading for researchers and advanced graduate students in physics, chemistry, metallurgy and polymer science.

This 2006 work began with the author's exploration of the applicability of the finite deformation theory of elasticity when various standard assumptions such as convexity of various energies or ellipticity of the field equations of equilibrium are relinquished. The finite deformation theory of elasticity turns out to be a natural vehicle for the study of phase transitions in solids where thermal effects can be neglected. This text will be of interest to those interested in the development and application of continuum-mechanical models that describe the macroscopic response of materials capable of undergoing stress- or temperature-induced transitions between two solid phases. The focus is on the evolution of phase transitions which may be either dynamic or quasi-static, controlled by a kinetic relation which in the framework of classical thermomechanics represents information that is supplementary to the usual balance principles and constitutive laws of conventional theory.

This book introduces new concepts in the phenomenon of 1st order phase transitions. It discusses the concept of kinetic arrest at a certain temperature, with this temperature being dependent on the second control variable (magnetic field, or pressure). It discusses interesting manifestations of this phenomenon when the 1st order transition is broadened, i.e. occurs over a finite range of temperatures. Many examples of this phenomenon, observed recently in many materials, will also be discussed.

This volume collects several in-depth articles giving lucid discussions on new developments in statistical and condensed matter physics. Many, though not all, contributors had been in touch with the late S-K Ma. Written by some of the world's experts and originators of new ideas in the field, this book is a must for all researchers in theoretical physics. Most of the articles should be accessible to diligent graduate students and experienced readers will gain from the wealth of materials contained herein.

Assembling recent research and theories, this book describes the phase and state transitions that affect technological properties of biological materials occurring in food processing and storage. It covers the role of water as a plasticizer, the effect of transitions on mechanical and chemical changes, and the application of modeling in predicting stability rates of changes. The volume presents methods for detecting changes in the physical state and various techniques used to analyze phase behavior of biopolymers and food components. This book should become a valuable resource for anyone involved with food engineering, processing, storage, and quality, as well as those working on related properties of pharmaceuticals and other biopolymers. - Contains descriptions of nonfat food solids as"biopolymers"which exhibit physical properties that are highly dependent on temperature, time, and water content - Details the effects of water on the state and stability of foods - Includes information on changes occuring in state and physicochemical properties during processing and storage - The only book on phase and state transitions written specifically for the applications in food industry, product development, and research - No recent competition

This is a textbook which gradually introduces the student to the statistical mechanical study of the different phases of matter and to the phase transitions between them. Throughout, only simple models of both ordinary and soft matter are used but these are studied in full detail. The subject is developed in a pedagogical manner, starting from the basics, going from the simple ideal systems to the interacting systems, and ending with the more modern topics. The textbook provides the student with a complete overview, intentionally at an introductory level, of the theory of phase transitions. All equations and deductions are included.

A classical metastable state possesses a local free energy minimum at infinite sizes, but not a global one. This concept is phase size independent. We have studied a number of experimental results and proposed a new concept that there exists a wide range of metastable states in polymers on different length scales where their metastability is critically determined by the phase size and dimensionality. Metastable states are also observed in phase transformations that are kinetically impeded on the pathway to thermodynamic equilibrium. This was illustrated in structural and morphological investigations of crystallization and mesophase transitions, liquid-liquid phase separation, vitrification and gel formation, as well as combinations of these transformation processes. The phase behaviours in polymers are thus dominated by interlinks of metastable states on different length scales. This concept successfully explains many experimental observations and provides a new way to connect different aspects of polymer physics.* Written by a leading scholar and industry expert* Presents new and cutting edge material encouraging innovation and future research* Connects hot topics and leading research in one concise volume