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Control of pattern formation during phase separation initiated by a propagated trigger
1Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minamioosawa, Hachiouji-shi, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan. kurita@tmu.ac.jp.
Scientific Reports
|August 2, 2017
Summary
Controlling pattern formation in materials science is achieved by manipulating phase separation triggers. This study reveals diverse patterns like concentric and dendritic structures, offering new insights into materials properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physics
Background:
- Pattern formation during phase separation is crucial for determining macroscopic physical properties of materials.
- Understanding and controlling these patterns is a key challenge in materials science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the control of pattern formation during phase separation using a propagating trigger.
- To explore the influence of trigger propagation speed and multiple triggers on pattern development.
Main Methods:
- Simulating phase separation initiated by a point source trigger propagating outwards.
- Analyzing patterns formed under varying trigger speeds and multiple trigger sources.
- Investigating phase dynamics within the concentric pattern core.
Main Results:
- Diverse patterns (random droplet, concentric, dendritic) were observed, dependent on trigger propagation speed.
- A periodically changing phase was identified at the core of the concentric pattern.
- Propagating triggers from periodic points resulted in a metastable regular hexagonal pattern.
- A bifurcation was observed where either the majority or minority phase adopts a droplet pattern.
- A percolated, bicontinuous phase was confirmed even with asymmetric composition.
Conclusions:
- Pattern formation during phase separation can be precisely controlled by the dynamics of propagating triggers.
- The speed and spatial arrangement of triggers dictate the resulting material microstructure.
- This research offers novel strategies for designing materials with specific properties through controlled phase separation.
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