Supersaturated phase

It has been established experimentally that all thermodynamic properties of supersaturated phases (a supersaturated vapor, a liquid heated beyond the boiling point, or a liquid cooled down below the melting point) are in no way remarkable and fail to show any substantial deviations that would point to strong heterophase fluctuations. All the more, d, fortiori, it may hence be concluded that before the transition point and at the point itself the quantity J is negligibly small. 

The chiton tooth, dentin and the sea urchin larval spicule reflect the enormous diversity of the field of biomineralization. They differ with respect to the nature of their mineral and macromolecular components, as well as their structures. Few underlying common strategies can be recognized the delineation of a dedicated space in which the mineralized tissue forms, the formation of mineral in a preformed framework within this space, and the precipitation of mineral from a supersaturated phase. In this section we will reexamine some of these underlying issues, focussing in particular on the microenvironment in which mineralization occurs. 

Calculated at 25°C. tMINEQL2 and REDEQL2 results were calculated in such a way that the solution was equilibrated with supersaturated phases. P, ... 

Calculated at 25°C. MINEQL2 and REDEQL2 results were calculated in such a way that the sol with supersaturated phases. P, Ca, Fe, A1 and Si species are not exactly comparable to the other programs because of this equilibration process, and, of course, all species have been... 

The parent supersaturated phase is supposed to behave like an ideal solution (Equation 13.15) ... 

By all means, the most important and at the same time the oldest nanotechnology in the world is the hydration hardening of cements. Of special interest here is the fact that the nucleation taking place in the supersaturated phase controls both the formation of new phase particles and the formation of bridges between these particles. 

We begin our discussions by considering spinodal limits, including consolute points. To focus the discussion, imagine we have two partially miscible liquids. When we dissolve a trace of one solute liquid in the other solvent liquid, we get a true solution. As we increase the amount of solute, we will saturate the solution. This saturation limit is called the binodal. If we are careful, the solution will remain one supersaturated phase. If we continue to increase the solute concentration, we will reach a new limit of thermodynamic stability called the spinodal. At a specific temperature, the spinodal will equal the binodal at a concentration called the consolute point. This point is for liquid-liquid mixtures what the critical point is for gas-liquid phase behavior. 

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