Top Research Papers on Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics serves as a universal means for studying physical systems from an energy perspective. In recent years, with the establishment of the field of stochastic and quantum thermodynamics, the ideas of thermodynamics have been generalized to small fluctuating systems. Independently developed in mathematics and statistics, the optimal transport theory concerns the means by which one can optimally transport a source distribution to a target distribution, deriving a useful metric between probability distributions, called the Wasserstein distance. Despite their seemingly unrelated nature, a...

A concise treatment of the fundamentals of thermodynamics is presented in this book. In particular, emphasis is placed on discussions of the second law, a unique feature of thermodynamics, which states the limitations of converting thermal energy into mechanical energy. The entropy function that permits the loss in the potential of a real thermodynamic process to be assessed, the maximum possible work in a process, and irreversibility and equilibrium are deduced from the law through physical and intuitive considerations. They are applicable in mitigating waste heat and are useful for solving e...

Designed to cover the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics used in engineering, the book introduces topics such as the laws of thermodynamics, exergy analysis, thermodynamic cycles, measurement theory, and applications. Using step by step examples and numerous illustrations, the book is designed with a self-teaching methodology, including a variety of exercises with corresponding answers to enhance mastery of the content. The book provides an engineer with a basic understanding or review of thermodynamic principles. Features: Designed to cover the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics used ...

Stochastic thermodynamics is a well-defined subfield of statistical physics that aims to interpret thermodynamic concepts for systems, ranging in size from a few to hundreds of nanometers, the behavior of which is inherently random due to thermal fluctuations. This growing field therefore describes the nonequilibrium dynamics of small systems, such as artificial nanodevices and biological molecular machines, which are of increasing scientific and technological relevance. This textbook provides an up-to-date pedagogical introduction to stochastic thermodynamics, guiding readers from basic conce...

The book presents concepts and equations of equilibrium thermodynamics or thermostatics. Key features that distinguish this book from others on chemical engineering thermodynamics are: a mathematical treatment of the developments leading to the discovery of the internal energy and entropy; a clear distinction between the classical thermodynamics of Carnot, Clausius and Kelvin and the thermostatics of Gibbs; an intensive/specific variable formalism from which the extensive variable formalism is obtained as a special case; a systematic method of obtaining the central equations of thermostatics w...

Transport and diffusion processes are central in numerous scientific and technical applications. Prominent examples are the temperature distribution in continuous media, the flow of liquids or gases, the dynamics of reaction-diffusion systems, or the concentration distributions in mixtures. The theoretical and numerical description of these systems is based on partial differential equations. The theory of non-equilibrium thermodynamics provides a frame to derive these equations from basic conservation laws and first principles. The first part of the textbook discusses the concept of equilibriu...

Through a simple unifying argument, a sweeping generalization of so-called thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs) is derived, which not only strengthen the bounds but extend their realm of applicability and in many cases prove their optimality, without resorting to large deviation theory or information-theoretic techniques.

A complete study of adsorption processes will be less complete if the structure and dynamics of its different elements and how they interact is not well captured. Therefore, the extensive study of adsorption thermodynamics in conjunction with adsorption kinetics is inevitable. Measurable thermodynamic properties such as temperature equilibrium constant and their non-measurable counterparts such as Gibbs free energy change, enthalpy, entropy etc. are very important design variables usually deployed for the evaluation and prediction of the mechanism of adsorption processes.

It is shown that computational thermodynamics enables the modeling of thermodynamics of a state as a function of both external and internal variables and quantitative calculations of a broad range of properties of a multicomponent system in terms of first and second derivatives of energy.

The supply and quality of water is still a problem in undeveloped or developing nations. Researchers from different countries have developed various distillation or desalination techniques among which solar distillation is a good option to obtain fresh water. Solar stills are promising technologies to meet the freshwater demand; hence intensive efforts are also made day after day to improve their design for a high productivity yield along with a cost reduction. In the present work, solar stills have been investigated based upon the thermodynamic approach for the first time in literature. A rev...

With the hype of "high entropy" alloys and more recently, "high entropy" ceramics and "high entropy" oxides (HEOs), there has been a great push to investigate and characterize systems with 5 or more components. This push has been extremely beneficial for the materials community as it has led to the development of many new systems with targeted applications. However, with our desire to find "new" and "exotic" materials, we have not spent enough time to step back and think deeply about the fundamental thermodynamic constraints that will guide design of future HEOs. Here, we present data-driven d...

A critical point is an important structure in the phase diagram of a thermodynamic system. In this work, we introduce topology to the study of black hole thermodynamics for the first time by following Duan???s topological current ??-mapping theory. Each critical point is endowed with a topological charge. We find that critical points can be divided into two classes, the conventional and the novel. Further study shows that the first-order phase transition can extend from the conventional critical point, while the presence of the novel critical point cannot serve as an indicator of the presence ...

Li-metal batteries have been emerging as attractive technologies for electrical energy storage and conversion by virtue of the ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity of lithium. However, the undesirable Li-dendrite growth upon prolonged cycling gives rise to thermal runaway, inducing tremendous safety concerns that impede the development of the technology. In general, Li nucleation and growth behavior significantly changes when the operating condition is modified through modulating temperature or thermodynamic energy to produce regulated lithium depositions. Herein, this perspective takes the...

Previously, asphaltene science had been hindered by many significant uncertainties regarding molecular weight, molecular structure, and nanocolloidal characteristics in laboratory solvents and crude oils. These debates were of sufficient magnitude to forestall development and utility of asphaltene modeling for various applications. In the last 2 decades, advances in asphaltene science using many sophisticated techniques have greatly reduced corresponding uncertainties, enabling development of simple asphaltene models for a variety of applications. Here, we provide an overview of key findings i...

Physical systems that power motion and create structure in a fixed amount of\ntime dissipate energy and produce entropy. Whether living or synthetic, systems\nperforming these dynamic functions must balance dissipation and speed. Here, we\nshow that rates of energy and entropy exchange are subject to a speed limit --\na time-information uncertainty relation -- imposed by the rates of change in\nthe information content of the system. This uncertainty relation bounds the\ntime that elapses before the change in a thermodynamic quantity has the same\nmagnitude as its initial standard deviation. Fr...

Radiative cooling is a ubiquitous passive process that uses photon heat flow to carry away energy and entropy. Radiative cooling processes have been studied in the scientific literature for many decades, but advances in nanophotonics have enabled recent breakthroughs in daytime radiative cooling, which have inspired intense research efforts in this area. Radiative cooling is now emerging as a frontier in renewable energy research, with important potential for wide ranges of applications. In this Review, we discuss the fundamental photonics and thermodynamics concepts that underlie the processe...

Focusing on Lindblad dynamics, a second bound is derived showing that coherence as a genuine quantum effect inevitably reduces the performance of slow engine cycles regardless of the driving amplitudes.

Abstract We investigate the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics, applying Barrow entropy for the horizon entropy. The former arises from the fact that the black-hole surface may be deformed due to quantum-gravitational effects, quantified by a new exponent $$\Delta $$ Δ . We calculate the entropy time-variation in a universe filled with the matter and dark energy fluids, as well as the corresponding quantity for the apparent horizon. We show that although in the case $$\Delta =0$$ Δ = 0 , which corresponds to usual entropy, the sum of the entropy enclosed by the apparent h...

Creating, conserving and modifying the stereochemistry of organic compounds has been the subject of significant research efforts in synthetic chemistry. Most synthetic routes are designed according to the stereoselectivity-determining step. Stereochemical editing is an alternative strategy, wherein the chiral-defining or geometry-defining steps are independent of the construction of the major scaffold or complexity. It enables late-stage alterations of stereochemistry and can generate isomers from a single compound. However, in many instances, stereochemical editing processes are contra-thermo...

With its suitable bandgap (<1.73 eV), excellent optoelectronic properties and ideal thermo-stability, cesium lead halide, CsPbI3, is a promising candidate for next-generation photovoltaics (PVs). However, its instable structure (perovskite black phase can transform to non-perovskite yellow phase at room temperature) limits further development. Since the first report in 2014, much efforts have been made to stabilize the structure (black phase), and the corresponding inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have made great progress in terms of power conversion efficiency (PCE) which increased ...

The greater adsorption ability of shale to CO2 offers an alternative method to enhance shale gas recovery, where a potential solution for CO2 sequestration into a deep shale reservoir can also be realized. Clay minerals are the important storage space for shale gas. In this work, the isotherm adsorption curves of CH4 and CO2 on montmorillonite at 288 K, 308 K and 328 K were obtained using gravimetric apparatus. The selectivity factor of CO2 over CH4 (SCO2/CH4) and Henry's constants (KH) of CH4 and CO2 were calculated. More importantly, the thermodynamics parameters of CH4 and CO2, including Gi...

The core of mosaic non-equilibrium thermodynamics is the theory of metabolic control, a basis for thermodynamics in (quantum) mechanics and statistics and an extension to far from equilibrium systems.

Phase-field method is a density-based computational method at the mesoscale for modeling and predicting the temporal microstructure and property evolution during materials processes. The focus of this article is on connecting the most common phase-field equations to the very basic first and second laws of classical thermodynamics through rudimentary irreversible thermodynamics. It briefly discusses the relations of the continuum phase-field equations to their counter parts at the microscopic and atomic levels. It attempts to clarify the contributions of long-range elastic, electrostatic, and m...

This study used the established and regarded GERG-2008 Equation of State (EoS) and SuperTRAPP model to predict the thermo-physical properties of H 2 mixed with CH 4 , N 2 , CO 2 , and a typical natural gas from the North-Sea with high accuracy and precision.

This work uses quantum estimation theory to derive a thermodynamic uncertainty relation in Markovian open quantum systems, which bounds the fluctuation of continuous measurements, and shows that there exists a universal bound upon the fluctuations, regardless of continuously measurements.

A general thermodynamic framework is presented for open quantum systems in fixed contact with a thermal reservoir, and the first and second law are obtained for arbitrary system-reservoir coupling strengths, including both factorized and correlated initial conditions.

It is found that heterotypic interactions among protein and RNA components stabilize various archetypal intracellular condensates—including the nucleolus, Cajal bodies, stress granules and P-bodies—implying that the composition of condensate is finely tuned by the thermodynamics of the underlying biomolecular interaction network.

In this work, we present a convenient method to perform the topological analysis of black hole thermodynamics. Utilizing the spinodal curve, thermodynamic critical points of a black hole are endowed with a topological quantity, Brouwer degree, which reflects intrinsic properties of the system under smooth deformations. Particularly, in our setup it can be easily calculated without an exact solution of critical points. This enables us to conveniently investigate the topological transition between different thermodynamic systems, and give a topological classification for them. In this framework,...

The main goal was to investigate the advances in this area over the past 10 years, to identify the limitations that still exist, and to propose future R&D directions that will address the industrial needs.

In this Letter, employing the generalized off-shell free energy, we treat black hole solutions as defects in the thermodynamic parameter space. The results show that the positive and negative winding numbers corresponding to the defects indicate the local thermodynamical stable and unstable black hole solutions, respectively. The topological number defined as the sum of the winding numbers for all the black hole branches at an arbitrary given temperature is found to be a universal number independent of the black hole parameters. Moreover, this topological number only depends on the thermodynam...

This work derives a finite-time TUR valid for arbitrary initial states from the Cramér-Rao inequality and finds that the variance of an accumulated current is bounded from below by the instantaneous current at the final time, which suggests that "the boundary is constrained by the bulk".

Thermodynamic uncertainty relations derive their general form for systems under arbitrary time-dependent driving from arbitrary initial states and extend these relations beyond currents to state variables and the quality of the bound is discussed for various types of observables.

The thermodynamic Euler equation for high-energy states of large-$N$ gauge theories is derived from the dependence of the extensive quantities on the number of colors $N$. This Euler equation relates the energy of the state to the temperature, entropy, number of degrees of freedom and its chemical potential, but not to the volume or pressure. In the context of the gauge/gravity duality we show that the Euler equation is dual to the generalized Smarr formula for black holes in the presence of a negative cosmological constant. We also match the fundamental variational equation of thermodynamics ...

Oily sludge has the potential to utilize in pyrolysis process effectively because of higher product recovery and lower harmful emissions. Due to the complex nature of reactions, it is necessary to evaluate the thermo-kinetic behavior of the process to make it commercially feasible. This study includes thermal degradation behavior, the kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of dry oily sludge by applying Friedman and Vyazovkin method (model-free approach), and Coats-Redfern method (model-fitting approach) with the help of thermogravimetric analysis TGA at different heating rates (5, 20, 40 °C/min)....

To assess the present and future value of simulation for drug discovery, this work reviews key applications of advanced methods for sampling complex free-energy landscapes at near nonergodicity conditions and for estimating the rate coefficients of very slow processes of pharmacological interest.

Chern insulators, which are the lattice analogues of the quantum Hall states, can potentially manifest high-temperature topological orders at zero magnetic field to enable next-generation topological quantum devices 1-3 . Until now, integer Chern insulators have been experimentally demonstrated in several systems at zero magnetic field 3-8 , whereas fractional Chern insulators have been reported in only graphene-based systems under a finite magnetic field 9,10 . The emergence of semiconductor moiré materials 11 , which support tunable topological flat bands 12,13 , provides an opportunity to r...

The whiskers/dendrites-growth phenomenon observed on metal anode-surfaces in batteries is shown to have a thermodynamic origin taking its root from negative surface tensions associated with a symmetry breaking of the crystal shape.

Machine Learning methods and, in particular, Artificial Neural Networks\n(ANNs) have demonstrated promising capabilities in material constitutive\nmodeling. One of the main drawbacks of such approaches is the lack of a\nrigorous frame based on the laws of physics. This may render physically\ninconsistent the predictions of a trained network, which can be even dangerous\nfor real applications.\n Here we propose a new class of data-driven, physics-based, neural networks\nfor constitutive modeling of strain rate independent processes at the material\npoint level, which we define as Thermodynamics...

Abstract In conventional processing, metals go through multiple manufacturing steps including casting, plastic deformation, and heat treatment to achieve the desired property. In additive manufacturing (AM) the same target must be reached in one fabrication process, involving solidification and cyclic remelting. The thermodynamic and kinetic differences between the solid and liquid phases lead to constitutional undercooling, local variations in the solidification interval, and unexpected precipitation of secondary phases. These features may cause many undesired defects, one of which is the so-...

In this paper, we extend our previous work [D. Wu, Phys. Rev. D 107, 024024 (2023)] to the more general cases with a negative cosmological constant, and investigate the topological numbers for the singly rotating Kerr-AdS black holes in all dimensions and the four-dimensional Kerr-Newman-AdS black hole as well as the three-dimensional Ba\~nados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole. We find that the topological numbers of black holes are remarkably influenced by the cosmological constant. In addition, we also demonstrate that the dimension of spacetimes has an important effect on the topological numbe...