SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION IN MULTICOMPONENT FLUID MIXTURES - A MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS STUDY

We have investigated the effect of the number p of components on the d ynamics of phase separation in two-dimensional symmetric multicomponen t fluids. In contrast to concentrated two-dimensional binary fluids, w here the growth dynamics is controlled by the coupling of the velocity held to the order parameter, leading to large growth-exponent values, the dynamics in multicomponent fluids (p = 3, 4) is found to follow a t(1/3) growth law, where t is time, which we relate to a long-wavelen gth evaporation-condensation process. These findings, which are propos ed to be consequences of the compact domain structure persisting in mu lticomponent fluids, imply that hydrodynamic modes do not affect the d ynamics of the phase separation in these systems.