Spinodal Decomposition in a Concentration Gradient

Abstract

The effect of global density inhomogeneities on spinodal decomposition is studied in two dimensions. We performed lattice gas simulations to show that–except for boundary effects–any spatially varying density profile is conserved during phase separation. This observation is used to interpret spinodal decomposition in a concentration gradient in terms of percolation theory. A relation is established between the coarsening process and the fractal properties of the percolation hull. These results are used to interpret fractal structures observed in experiments of silver deposits in polyimide films.