Partial Molar Entropy and Partial Molar Heat Capacity of Electrons in Metals and Superconductors

Abstract

There are at least two valid approaches to the thermodynamics of electrons in metals. One takes a microscopic view, based on models of electrons in metals and superconductor and uses statistical mechanics to calculate the total thermodynamic functions for the model-based system. Another uses partial molar quantities, which is a rigorous thermodynamic method to analyze systems with components that can cross phase boundaries and is particularly useful when applied to a system composed of interacting components. Partial molar quantities have not been widely used in the field of solid state physics. The present paper will explore the application of partial molar electronic entropy and partial molar electronic heat capacity to electrons in metals and superconductors. This provides information that is complementary information from other approaches to the thermodynamics of electrons in metals and superconductors and can provide additional insight into the properties of those materials. Furthermore, the application of partial molar quantities to electrons in metals and superconductors has direct relevance to long-standing problems in other fields, such as the thermodynamics of ions in solution and the thermodynamics of biological energy transformations. A unifying principle between reversible and irreversible thermodynamics is also discussed, including how this relates to the completeness of thermodynamic theory.