Phase separation in thin films: Effect of temperature gradients
We study the phase-separation kinetics of a binary (AB) mixture confined in a thin film of thickness D with a temperature gradient. Starting from a Kawasaki-exchange kinetic Ising model, we use a master-equation approach to systematically derive an extension of the Cahn-Hilliard model for this system. We study the effect of temperature gradients perpendicular to the film with "neutral" (no preference for either A or B) surfaces. We highlight the rich phenomenology and pattern dynamics which arises from the interplay of phase separation and the temperature gradient.
Formation of metastable structures by phase separation triggered by initial composition gradients in thin films.
Phase separation kinetics of a binary (A,B) mixture contained in a thin film of thickness D induced by a quench from the one-phase region into the miscibility gap is studied by simulations using a Cahn-Hilliard-Cook model. The initial randomly mixed state (50% A, 50% B) contains a concentration gradient perpendicular to the film, while the surfaces of the film are "neutral" (no preference for either A or B). In thermal equilibrium, a pattern of large A-rich and B-rich domains must result, separated by domain walls oriented perpendicularly to the external surfaces of the thin film. However, it is shown that for many choices of D and the strength of the initial gradient Ψ(g), instead a very l…
Phase separation of binary mixtures in thin films: Effects of an initial concentration gradient across the film.
We study the kinetics of phase separation of a binary (A,B) mixture confined in a thin film of thickness $D$ by numerical simulations of the corresponding Cahn-Hilliard-Cook (CHC) model. The initial state consisted of 50$%$ A:50$%$ B with a concentration gradient across the film, i.e., the average order parameter profile is ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{\mathrm{av}}(z,t=0)=(2z/D\ensuremath{-}1){\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{g},\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}0\ensuremath{\leqslant}z\ensuremath{\leqslant}D$, for various choices of ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{g}$ and $D$. The equilibrium state (for time $t\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$) consists of coexisting A-rich and B-rich domains separated by interfac…