Heterophase Systems

Abstract

Solids that consist of a mixture of crystals of different composition and structure are, of course, more numerous than solid single-phase systems. Such a mixed body can also form in a single-component system if the substance can exist in several polymorphic modifications. But then, such two-phase systems (e.g., a mixture of yellow and red sulphur crystals, or of grey and white tin crystals) can exist in a stable state only at phase equilibrium points of a phase diagram. At a given pressure, equilibrium is attained only at a certain temperature. A two-phase region in the phase diagram can be reached only through eutectic crystallization, or when a solid solution decomposes (disproportionates). These two processes will be examined briefly in this chapter.KeywordsTitanium CarbideEutectic AlloyLiquid CompositionInitial CrystalHeterophase SystemThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.