Non-Random Interaction of Vacancies with Atoms during Interdiffusion and Ionic Conductivity in Materials

The non-random interaction of vacancies with atoms during interdiffusion and ionic conductivity is referred to as the vacancy-wind effect. This effect, first discovered by the late Dr John Manning, is a subtle phenomenon arising from the non-random distribution of vacancies with respect to a given moving atom within a net flux of vacancies. Recently, a good deal of progress has been made in determining accurate expressions for vacancy-wind factors in binary and ternary alloys, and in mixed cation ionic systems. The present paper provides an overview of these recent findings and puts them into a broader and historical context.