Domain Coarsening of Binary Fluid Mixtures under Critical Quench

Author(s): Dr. Saikat Basu

Abstract:

Understanding of the nonequilibrium evolution of domains in a phase separating system, both from theoretical and experimental point of view, is of much research interest and of fundamental importance. This article deals with the phase ordering kinetics of binary fluid mixtures with a comparative picture of its solid counterpart. The theoretical foundation has been presented in length in the introduction where I have precisely considered a system consisting of binary Lennard-Jones fluid undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation for which the results were obtained, mostly, from molecular dynamics simulation. Before getting into the detailed description of the phase ordering dynamics and quantification of domain coarsening process, the general concept of phase ordering kinetics in bulk systems has been discussed. Following an early time diffusive domain growth, known as LS growth, the system enters a faster growth regime when the hydrodynamic effects set in later. Similarly, the nonequilibrium domain coarsening of a geometrically constrained system follows the same trend as that of a bulk system with the only difference is the absence of linear growth regime. Unlike the bulk systems where complete phase separation occurs at a very late time, confinement compels the quasi-one-dimensional systems to settle in microscopic phase separated equilibrium state.

Keywords: Non-equilibrium, phase transition, domain coarsening, growth mechanism, growth exponent.

Pages: 83-85      |       193 View       |       6 Download