Search results for "SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION"
showing 10 items of 76 documents
Ab initiothermodynamics ofBacSr(1−c)TiO3solid solutions
2005
Based on ab initio calculations for a number of the ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{\mathrm{c}}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{(1\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{c})}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (BST) superlattices, we developed a thermodynamic approach to these solid solutions. In particular, we calculate the BST phase diagram and show that at relatively low temperatures (below $400\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ for $c=0.5$ and $300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ for $c=0.1$) the spinodal decomposition of the solid solution occurs. As a result, we predict for small Ba concentrations formation of $\mathrm{Ba}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ nanoregions in a predominantly $\mathrm{Sr}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ matrix and …
Surface-directed spinodal decomposition: modelling and numerical simulations
1997
We critically review the modelling and simulations of surface-directed spinodal decomposition, namely, the dynamics of phase separation of a critical or near-critical binary mixture in the presence of a surface with a preferential attraction for one of the components of the mixture.
Power laws and crossovers in off-critical surface-directed spinodal decomposition.
2000
We study the dynamics of phase separation in binary mixtures near a surface with a preferential attraction for one of the components of the mixture. We obtain detailed numerical results for a range of mixture compositions. In the case where the minority component is attracted to the surface, wetting layer growth is characterized by a crossover from a surface-potential-dependent growth law to a universal law. We formulate a simple phenomenological model to explain our numerical results.
Spinodal decomposition in thin films: Molecular-dynamics simulations of a binary Lennard-Jones fluid mixture
2005
We use molecular dynamics (MD) to simulate an unstable homogeneous mixture of binary fluids (AB), confined in a slit pore of width $D$. The pore walls are assumed to be flat and structureless, and attract one component of the mixture (A) with the same strength. The pair-wise interactions between the particles is modeled by the Lennard-Jones potential, with symmetric parameters that lead to a miscibility gap in the bulk. In the thin-film geometry, an interesting interplay occurs between surface enrichment and phase separation. We study the evolution of a mixture with equal amounts of A and B, which is rendered unstable by a temperature quench. We find that A-rich surface enrichment layers fo…
Thermodynamics of pseudo-ternary systems as a tool to predict the morphologies of cellulose acetate/polystyrene blends cast from tetrahydrofuran solu…
2003
Abstract The demixing behavior of the ternary system THF/CA/PS (tetrahydrofuran/cellulose acetate/polystyrene) was investigated at 25 °C. Cloud point measurements show that the system exhibits a large miscibility gap caused by the incompatibility of CA and PS. Both ends of the experimentally determined tie lines are located inside the two-phase area of the phase diagram. By means of the measured critical composition of the ternary system and the Flory–Huggins interaction parameters published for two of the binary subsystems ( χ CA/THF =0.442 and χ PS/THF =0.475) the polymer/polymer interaction parameter was adjusted (directly minimizing the Gibbs energy) to χ CA/PS =0.057. These thermodynam…
Formation of metastable structures by phase separation triggered by initial composition gradients in thin films.
2012
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…
Spinodal decomposition of a two-dimensional model alloy with mobile vacancies
1991
Abstract Monte Carlo simulations are performed for the initial stages of phase separation in a model binary alloy (AB), where unmixing is caused by a repulsive energy between atoms of different kind ( e AA = e BB = e ), and a small fraction c v of mobile vacancies is present (typically c v = 0.04.) Unlike previous work, where interdiffusion was modelled in an unrealistic way by direct interchange of A and B atoms for c v = 0, were use the vacancy mechanism of diffusion: A-atoms may jump to vacant sites with a rate Γ A and B-atoms may jump to vacant sites with a rate Γ B , no direct A–B interchange being permitted. It is shown that the overall time-scale on which phase separation proceeds ty…
Phase separation of an asymmetric binary fluid mixture confined in a nanoscopic slit pore: Molecular-dynamics simulations
2008
As a generic model system of an asymmetric binary fluid mixture, hexadecane dissolved in carbon dioxide is considered, using a coarse-grained bead-spring model for the short polymer, and a simple spherical particle with Lennard-Jones interactions for the carbon dioxide molecules. In previous work, it has been shown that this model reproduces the real phase diagram reasonable well, and also the initial stages of spinodal decomposition in the bulk following a sudden expansion of the system could be studied. Using the parallelized simulation package ESPResSo on a multiprocessor supercomputer, phase separation of thin fluid films confined between parallel walls that are repulsive for both types…
Polyelectrolyte Complexes: Phase Diagram and Intrinsic Viscosities of the System Water/Poly(2-vinylpyridinium-Br)/Poly(styrene sulfonate-Na)
2012
In contrast to all earlier work on that subject, measurements are performed at high dilution up to total polymer concentrations wpol of 0.5 wt%. Aqueous solutions of poly(2-vinylpyridinium-Br) and of poly(styrene sulfonate-Na) are only fully miscible if wpol < 0.02 wt%. Decomposition into two liquid phases is observed upon an increase in wpol, where the extension of the miscibility gap is considerably larger at 60 than at 25 °C. Viscosity measurements demonstrate that the formation of the polyelectrolyte complexes may take hours. The intrinsic viscosity of the polyanion turns out to be 20 times larger than that of the polycation and to be much more sensitive toward the addition of extra sal…
Calculation of phase diagrams not requiring the derivatives of the Gibbs energy for multinary mixtures
1996
A method for the calculation of phase diagrams (tie lines and binodal, spinodal, critical points and their stability) based exclusively on the Gibbs energy of mixing with no need of its derivatives with respect to the composition variables is extended to multinary mixtures for any number of components. The mathematical description of the (K-1)-dimensional phase diagram of a K-component mixture is presented. The method is demonstrated for a quinternary blend of five polymers exhibiting a closed miscibility gap; all binary, ternary and quaternary subsystems are completely miscible. The phase separation in the quinternary system is caused by very favorable interactions in the ternary subsystem…