CAN THERE BE A 2ND-KIND OF ENTROPY CATASTROPHE IN THE MELTING OF METASTABLE SOLIDS

We explore here the thermodynamic possibility of the superheating of a lloys and the existence of a second order melting transition in metast able alloys subject to concentration fluctuations. Toward the purpose, a novel approach has been adopted which involves simultaneous conside ration of the free energy and entropy changes associated with the melt ing of the fluctuated region. Similar to the well-known Kauzmann parad ox in freezing, in principle, there exists an entropy catastrophe in t he nucleation of melting in metastable solids, too. However, it would be experimentally difficult to realize the melting of metastable solid s because of the tendency to equilibrate at elevated temperatures.