Two particle cluster calculation of the chemical spinodal

Abstract

The spinodal curve for demixing in a binary mixture is calculated in the two-particle cluster approximation. It is found that the difference between the equilibrium composition x,. and the spinodal composition x, is smaller than in the mean-field approximation. The results agree remarkably well with the semi-empirical formula for the metastable region proposed by Cook and Hilliard (Trans. Met. Soc. AIME 233 (1965) 142).