Growth of Clusters and of Ensembles of Clusters: Ostwald Ripening and Ostwald’s Rule of Stages

Abstract

In the preceding chapter, basic ideas and models of the description of growth processes for macroscopic samples of the newly evolving phase are outlined. In the present chapter these results are extended to account for surface or interfacial effects in growth of crystallites or, more generally, of clusters of the newly evolving phase. These effects are of importance, if the size of the clusters is comparable in magnitude with the Gibbs-Thomson critical cluster size. Such effect are of importance in the asymptotic stages of decomposition of solid solutions, denoted commonly as coarsening or Ostwald ripening. The basic ideas and the results of the theory of Ostwald ripening are reviewed and Ostwald’s rule of stages is introduced and discussed in details.