Abstract:
The use of the principle of maximum entropy generation per unit volume is a new approach
in materials science that has implications for understanding the morphological evolution during
solid–liquid interface growth, including bifurcations with or without di useness. A review based
on a pre-publication arXiv preprint is first presented. A detailed comparison with experimental
observations indicates that the Maximum Entropy Production Rate-density model (MEPR) can
correctly predict bifurcations for dilute alloys during solidification. The model predicts a critical
di useness of the interface at which a plane-front or any other form of di use interface will become
unstable. A further confidence test for the model is o ered in this article by comparing the predicted
liquid di usion coe cients to those obtained experimentally. A comparison of the experimentally
determined solute di usion constant in dilute binary Pb–Sn alloys with those predicted by the various
solidification instability models (1953–2011) is additionally discussed. A good predictability is noted
for the MEPR model when the interface di useness is small. In comparison, the more traditional
interface break-down models have low predictiveness.
