Motion and Morphological Evolution

Analysis is simplified if 7 is isotropic—i.e., independent of geometrical attributes such as interfacial inclination n and, for internal interfaces in crystalline materials, the crystallographic misorientation across the interface. All interfacial energy reduction then results from a reduction of interfacial area through interface motion. The rate of interfacial area reduction per volume transferred across the interface is the local geometric mean curvature. Thus, local driving forces derived from variations in mean curvature allow tractable models for the capillarity-induced morphological evolution of isotropic interfaces. 

The various topics are generally introduced in order of increasing complexity. The text starts with diffusion, a description of the elementary manner in which atoms and molecules move around in solids and liquids. Next, the progressively more complex problems of describing the motion of dislocations and interfaces are addressed. Finally, treatments of still more complex kinetic phenomena—such as morphological evolution and phase transformations—are given, based to a large extent on topics treated in the earlier parts of the text. 

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