The field of matter transport is central to understanding the processing and subsequent behaviour of materials. While thermodynamics tells us the state in which a material system would like to exist, the kinetics of matter transport tell us how fast it can get there. The materials which we use in service are often not at equilibrium. This is particularly so in solid materials. Here kinetics are sufficiently slow that materials are almost never in complete thermodynamic equilibrium but attain a stable state which is kinetically limited. However, kinetics are equally important in fluids since the transport of matter in a liquid or gas often limits the rate at which many processes for materials fabrication can proceed. The aim of this book is to give students a solid grounding in the principles of matter transport and their application to the solution of engineering problems.

It is this emphasis on engineering application that distinguishes this text from many other books in this field. In the field of solid-state diffusion, for example, much has been written about the mechanisms of diffusion at the atomic scale. This is a fascinating topic and of great interest to materials scientists. However, only an elementary understanding is required in order to treat many practical diffusion problems. Thus, the emphasis throughout this book is on developing methods for solving problems involving the transport of matter in materials.