| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials Science & Technology 2011
|
| Symposium
|
Phase Stability, Diffusion, Kinetics and their Applications (PSDK-VI)
|
| Presentation Title |
Gibbs Lost, Found, Applied and Supplemented (Dedicated to the Memory of Francis Larché) |
| Author(s) |
John W Cahn |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
John W Cahn |
| Abstract Scope |
In 1876-8 in 300 pages Gibbs created complete thermodynamics of heterogeneous phase equilibrium. This gem still needs to be studied. Gibbs is more rigorous and often simpler about some concepts than what is currently taught. Leaving ideas to be supplemented and fully developed, Gibbs created career opportunities. The phase rule occupied just one page; he took more space to create a phase rule for liquid-gas critical phases, but could not have known about solid order-disorder criticality. The thermodynamics of solid and fluid surfaces was fully developed, but he left that of recently discovered grain boundaries to the reader. Many materials concepts were unknown in Gibbs’ time. Solids were limited to stoichiometrical compositions; chemical potentials of separate components could not be defined, and solid diffusion was thought impossible. New concepts arising about nature of matter continue to create opportunities for us to do what Gibbs might have done. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: A CD-only volume |