Materials Science and Technology A Comprehensive Treatment Edited by R.W. Cahn, P. Haasen, E.J. Kramer The 18–volume series ‘Materials Science and Technology’ is the first in–depth, topic–oriented reference work devoted to this growing interdisciplinary field. A compendium of current, state–of–the–art information, it covers the most important classes of materials: metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, semiconductors, and composites. Each volume deals with properties, processing, applications, or general phenomena associated with these materials. Edited by internationally renowned figures in material science, this series is sure to establish itself as a seminal work. Volume 5: This volume covers phase transformations, a general phenomenon central to understanding the behavior of materials and to creating high–performance materials. Topics included are: ?? thermodynamics and phase diagrams of materials ?? diffusion in crystalline solids ?? statistical theories of phase transitions ?? homogeneous second phase precipitation ?? transformations involving interfacial diffusion ?? diffusionless transformations ?? spinodal decomposition ?? high pressure phase transformations ?? atomic ordering ?? solidification.