Pure and Applied Chemistry

Abstract: It is a prerequisite for the occurrence of diffusive phase transformations that the system is in an off-equilibrium condition. The time-dependent development of the variables until equilibrium or steady-state conditions are reached can be calculated by solving the evolution equations that can be derived from the principle of maximum entropy production. These equations provide the theoretical framework for the kinetics of diffusive phase transformations. In this work, the development from sharp interface-local equilibrium (SI-LE) models to thick interface-finite mobility (TI-FM) models is reviewed and presented in the light of the above-mentioned principle. Experimental results indicate that the kinetics of diffusive solid-state phase transformations can, at least in certain ranges of composition and temperature, be modeled in a satisfactory manner by the TI-FM approach only.