A thermodynamic model of hysteresis in phase transitions and its application to rare earth oxide systems

Abstract
A thermodynamic model of hysteresis in phase reactions based on regular solution theory is developed by invoking metastabilities. The effect of enthalpy and entropy change, pressure, temperature, and interaction energy on the hysteresis curve term is explored. The influence of a variation of the interaction term with temperature and composition is also studied. Observed hysteresis for the phase reactions Tb7O12?7/2Tb2O3+3/4O2 and Pr9O16 ?9/7Pr7O12+2/7O2 is discussed and the theory is applied to each case. The experimental details of data acquisition and the observed hysteresis in the praseodymium oxide reaction are given.

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