A statistical-mechanics model of ordering in aluminosilicate solid solutions

A statistical-thermodynamic approximation for order-disorder phase transitions in aluminosilicate solid solutions is presented. The approximation involves estimating the number of configurations with long range order parameter Q and short range order parameter σ, using an approximation to the probability that a configuration with the correct amount of long range order will also have the correct amount of short range order. This estimate is then used to give a free energy F(Q, σ, x, T), where x is the concentration of Al in the structure, and hence quantities such as Tc(x) are estimated. The predictions of the model for Tc(x) and the critical concentration xc at which Tc falls to zero are shown to be in good agreement with the results of Monte Carlo simulations.