Mechanochemical spinodal decomposition: a phenomenological theory of phase transformations in multi-component, crystalline solids

摘要

A treatment to describe structural phase transformations in materials has been developed by researchers in the USA. Under favorable energetic conditions, some multicomponent solids such as lithium-ion battery electrodes can decompose from a uniform phase into two co-existing phases having different compositions. This spinodal decomposition affects the properties of a range of structural and electronic materials. Now, Krishna Garikipati at the University of Michigan and colleagues have modeled spinodal decomposition triggered by instabilities and variations in either strain or composition throughout a material. The model requires solving a system of complex nonlinear interactions through a computational framework, and represents a new phenomenological description of spinodal decomposition that could potentially be extended to other phase-transformation phenomena. The model may play a role in the study and development of practically relevant materials such as battery electrodes or nanoelectronics.