Surface Modes of Coherent Spinodal Decomposition

Surface-directed spinodal decomposition in binary fluid mixtures.

We consider the phase separation of binary fluids in contact with a surface, which is preferentially wetted by one of the components of the mixture. We review the results available for this problem and present numerical results obtained using a mesoscopic level simulation technique for the three-dimensional problem.

Spinodal decomposition in microemulsions

Parallel Spinodal Decomposition

Spinodal decomposition encompasses the ordering dynamics of thermodynamically unstable phases. An example of spinodal decomposition is the separation of the metals in a binary alloy. Because physicists have been unable to develop a fully coherent, consistent , and calculable theory on spinodal decomposition, computational studies have served as valuable sources of information. However, since th...

Quantum spinodal decomposition.

We study the process of spinodal decomposition in a scalar quantum field theory that is quenched from an equilibrium disordered initial state at Ti > Tf to a final state at Tf ≈ 0. The process of formation and growth of correlated domains is studied in a Hartree approximation. We find an approximate scaling law for the size of the domains ξD(t) ≈ √ tξ0 at long times for weakly coupled theories,...

Isotropic-nematic spinodal decomposition kinetics.

The initial stage of isotropic-nematic spinodal demixing kinetics of suspensions of very long and thin, stiff, repulsive rods is analyzed on the basis of the N-particle Smoluchowski equation. Equations of motion for the reduced probability density function of the position and orientation of a rod are expanded up to second order in spatial gradients and leading order in orientational order param...