Details

This text presents a concise and thorough introduction to the main concepts and practical applications of thermodynamics and kinetics in materials science. It is designed with two types of uses in mind: firstly for a one or two semester university course for mid- to upper-level undergraduate or first year graduate students in a materials-science-oriented discipline and secondly for individuals who want to study the material on their own. The following major topicsare discussed: basic laws of classical and irreversible thermodynamics, phase equilibria, theory of solutions, chemical reaction thermodynamics and kinetics, surface phenomena, stressed systems, diffusion and statistical thermodynamics. A large number of example problems with detailed solutions areincluded as well as accompanying computer-based self-tests, consisting of over 400 questions and 2000 answers with hints for students. Computer-based laboratories are provided, in which a laboratory problem is posed and the experiment described. The student can &quote;perform&quote; the experiments and change the laboratory conditions to obtain the data required for meeting the laboratory objective. Each &quote;laboratory&quote; is augmented with background material to aid analysis of the experimental results.