Thermodynamics of Materials

Catalog description

The course starts with the first law of thermodynamics and its applications to the calculations of heat involved in various materials processes such as chemical reactions and phase transformations. Second law of thermodynamics and the concept of entropy are then introduced. The application of maximum work theorem to engine efficiency is briefly discussed. Various thermodynamic potentials are defined to determine the equilibrium of a system under various thermodynamic conditions, with an emphasis on the Gibbs free energy functions at constant temperature and pressure conditions. The relationships among thermodynamic properties are derived using the Maxwell relations. Phase diagrams of single-component systems are constructed from the Gibbs free energy function, and the Clapeyron equation is applied to describe the phase boundaries. Applications of thermodynamics to the determination of chemical equilibrium and to the calculation of the voltages of electrochemical reactions are also discussed. The last part of the course is focused on the solution thermodynamics and its application to binary phase-diagrams.