Thermodynamic stability of transition states in nanosystems (Q836974)

The paper presents the theory which shows that, in a closed system of fixed volume capable of undergoing a phase transition, the transition state can be thermodynamically stable against the bulk phases if a certain material parameters condition is satisfied. In a small system below the critical size, the transition state turns into a globally stable phase that can be observed experimentally. A case of a thin film where the phase separation is permitted only parallel to the plane of the film is considered.