Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics

Course goals

After completion of the course, the students are expected to acquire knowledge about systems out of-equilibrium and the forces driving various processes in these systems. The students will be able to understand simple theoretical models, that describe nonlinear thermodynamics. The students will practice the application of their knowledge to predict the future development of the material science and technology. Finally, we shall touch upon the origin of chirality, i.e. formation of molecules of unique handedness, which plays a crucial role in biology.

Content

Place in the curriculum
This course builds on prior knowledge of advanced physical chemistry / thermodynamics. It is also closely linked with the Transport Phenomena MSc course (SK-MTRPH), which is given in parallel with this course so that student can select both of them.

Brief course content
- Summary of the advanced thermodynamics needed to understand the material of the present course. A particular emphasis is given to the concepts of entropy and entropy production in spontaneous processes.
- Future materials lecture to provide inspiration for students’ essays on future (revolutionary) materials by the end of the century.
- Linear non-equilibrium thermodynamics to describe systems slightly out-of-equilibrium when local thermodynamic equilibrium can be assumed. This provides the theoretical basis for transport phenomena studied in more detail in the SK-MTRPH course. On top of that, coupling between flows of different types and the related Onsager symmetry are discussed.
- Introduction to nonlinear non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Several models will be studied to describe situations far from equilibrium. In particular, oscillating reactions are discussed.
- A guest lecture by dr. Pepijn Moerman will provide an example of a system far from equilibrium with nonlinear positive feedback: active oil droplets in surfactant solutions in water.
- Finally, we study models describing chiral systems.