spinodal

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.ST07274
Curve defining the region of composition and temperature for a binary mixture across which a transition occurs from conditions where single-phase mixtures are metastable to conditions where single-phase mixtures are unstable and undergo phase separation by spinodal decomposition.
Notes:
  1. The spinodal curve for a binary mixture is defined as the geometrical locus of all states with (δ2ΔmixGδϕ2)T,p=0.
  2. In the unstable region bounded by the spinodal curve, phase domain separation is spontaneous, i.e., no nucleation step is required to initiate the separation process.
Source:
PAC, 2004, 76, 1985. (Definition of terms related to polymer blends, composites, and multiphase polymeric materials (IUPAC Recommendations 2004)) on page 1998 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'spinodal' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.ST07274 RIS BibTex EndNote
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