Small systems and fundamentals of thermodynamics / Yu. K. Tovbin.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Foreword; Symbols and Abbreviations; 1: Background; 1. Small systems; 2. Thermodynamic parameters of the state; 3. Thermodynamic processes; 4. Basic conditions of equilibrium thermodynamics; 5. The Laws of Thermodynamics; 6. Interphase equilibrium; 7. The problem of the Kelvin equation; 8. Fundamentals of non-equilibrium thermodynamics; 9. Equations of non-equilibrium thermodynamics; 10. Self-consistency of equilibrium and dynamics; 11. Passive Gibbs forces; 12. Necessity of taking into account relaxation times.

2: Fundamentals of molecular theory13. Microscopic states of molecules and their description; 14. Continuous functions of molecular distributions; 15. Equations on the continuous functions of distributions; 16. Discrete functions of molecular distributions; 17. Functions of molecular distributions in a discrete-continual description; 18. Connection between thermodynamic functions and correlation functions; 19. Fundamentals of the calculation of non-equilibrium functions of molecular distributions; 20. Kinetic equations in dense phases; 3: Phase separation boundary.

21. Thermodynamic values of the surface layer22. The planar interface of macroscopic phases; 23. Molecular description of a planar interface; 24. Molecular description of the curved interface; 25. Properties of equilibrium drops [45]; 26. Three characteristic drop size scales [46]; 27. Criterion for the minimum phase size; 28. Equilibrium drops and phase rule; 4: Small systems and size fluctuations; 29. Small system fluctuations; 30. The discreteness of matter; 31. An ideal system, one component [15]; 32. An ideal system, two components [15]; 33. Non-ideal systems.

34. The lower limit of the applicability of thermodynamics [12]35. Micro-non-uniform systems; 5: Non-equilibrium processes; 36. Relaxation times; 37. Motions in three aggregate states; 38. Equations of conservation of molecular properties; 39. The hierarchy of Bogolyubov times; 40. The criterion for local equilibrium; 41. Strongly non-equilibrium states and the structure of transport equations; 42. Relaxation times and passive forces; 43. Non-equilibrium thermodynamic functions; 44. Non-equilibrium surface tension; 45. Relaxation of the interface.

46. Influence of fluctuations on the rate of stages47. Fluctuations of rates in small non-ideal reaction systems; 6: Elementary stages of the evolution of the system; 48. The rate of elementary stages; 49. One-site processes; 50. Self-consistency of the rates of single-site stages with an equilibrium distribution of molecules; 51. Two-site processes; 52. Self-consistency of the rates of two-site stages with an equilibrium distribution of molecules; 53. Correlation effects in stage velocities; 54. Accounting for the second and next neighbours (uniform systems).

"Small systems are a very active area of research and development due to improved instrumentation that allows for spatial resolution in the range of sizes from one to 100 nm. In this size range, many physical and chemical properties change, which opens up new approaches to the study of substances and their practical application. This affects both traditional fields of knowledge and many other new fields including physics, chemistry, biology, etc. This book highlights new developments in statistical thermodynamics that answer the most important questions about the specifics of small systems - when one cannot apply equations or traditional thermodynamic models."--Provided by publisher

Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on April 15, 2019).