We introduce a continuum model to describe the phase separation of a binary alloy in the presence of mobile dislocations. The kinetics of the local composition and dislocation density are coupled through their elastic fields. We show both analytically and numerically that mobile dislocations modify the standard spinodal decomposition process, and lead to several regimes of growth. Depending on the dislocation mobility and observation time, the phase separation may be accelerated, decelerated, or unaffected by mobile dislocations. For any finite dislocation mobility, we show that the domain growth rate asymptotically becomes independent of the dislocation mobility, and is faster than the dislocation-free growth rate.

• Received 25 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.69.081201