Effect of charge separation on the stability of large wavelength fluctuations during spinodal decomposition

A stability analysis of phase separation of charged species by spinodal decomposition is presented. The charge effects introduce a short wave number cutoff for linear perturbations about the homogeneous, neutral solution. Phase field calculations using a semi-implicit spectral method support this conclusion. This suggests that coarsening is limited in ionic solid systems that are unstable with respect to charged-phase separation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]