Ilya Prigozin

He expanded the application of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, founded by Clausius (R.J. E) nearly a century ago, to the study of thermodynamic phenomena in non-equilibrium states, opening up a new field that had received little attention in the past. It is considered to be one of the most significant advances in theoretical physics, theoretical chemistry and theoretical biology in the past two decades. Prigogine has formed his own philosophical views through long-term and extensive research work, and many of his scientific theoretical views are highly dialectical.

Ilya Prigozine is a Belgian physical chemist and theoretical physicist. Born in Moscow on January 25, 1917. In 1921, he lived in Germany with his family. He settled in Belgium in 1929 and naturalized Belgian citizenship in 1949. He entered the Universidad Libre de Brussels in 1934 to study chemistry and physics. He received a master's degree in science in 1939 and a doctorate in 1941. In 1947, he was appointed as a professor at the School of Science. In 1959, he served as director of the Solvay International Institute of Physics and Chemistry. In 1967, he served as director of the Center for Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. In 1953, he was elected as a member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences. In 1967, he was elected a member of the American Academy of Sciences. Prigokin has long been engaged in research on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes (also known as non-equilibrium thermodynamics). 1977 Ilya Prigozine (Bi) made his contribution to non-equilibrium thermodynamics (thermodynamics of irreversible processes). In 1945 he proposed the minimum entropy production theorem, which is one of the main cornerstones of the theory of linear irreversible processes. In the 1960s, he and his colleagues proposed a general development criterion applicable to the entire range of irreversible processes, developed a stability theory of nonlinear irreversible process thermodynamics, and proposed a dissipative structure theory, which provides a basis for understanding the various self-organization phenomena occurring in nature (especially in living systems). Dissipative structure theory has important uses in many fields of natural and social sciences. Prigokin won the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his creation of the dissipative structure theory in thermodynamics. Prigokin made significant contributions to other aspects of physical chemistry and theoretical physics, such as chemical thermodynamics, solution theory, and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. His main books include Chemical Thermodynamics, Introduction to Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes, Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics and Self-Organization in Non-Equilibrium Systems.

In the history of modern natural science, there are three world-renowned monuments: classical mechanics, which is associated with the name of scientific giant Newton; relativity, which is associated with the name of Einstein, the founder of modern physics; Quantum mechanics, which is associated with the names of Bohr, Heisenberg and others. For decades, scientists around the world have been looking up to the peak of science. They are all looking forward to the rise of another monument that transcends the giant. He is Ilya Prigozine. The basic thermodynamic potential energy in equilibrium thermodynamics is the internal energy (U) and its variant enthalpy (H=U+PV), Helmholtz free energy (A=U-TS) or Gibbs free energy (G=U+PV-TS). But in non-equilibrium thermodynamics, entropy (S) is the most important thing. Irreversible transitions are depicted by static entropy generation.

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is used to study systems that are not thermodynamically equilibrium, but can be divided into subsystems small enough to be large enough for thermodynamics to apply to them. This assumption is called partial equilibrium. In some cases, there are a number of separate systems interacting through a number of separate connections. Continuous systems are studied by measuring extensional quantities (e.g. density) per unit volume and by assuming locally defined values for intrinsic quantities; this means that all thermodynamic variables can be expressed in terms of fields. Differences or gradients in intrinsic quantities are called thermodynamic forces and lead to the flow of epitaxial quantities.

When an open system is allowed to reach an implicit state, it arranges itself to reach a minimum total entropy. This principle, valued by Ilya Prigotin and others, allows us to formulate implicit non-equilibrium thermodynamics using variational principles. Another powerful tool is the Unsager reciprocal relation, which expresses some symmetry between two reactions flowing to other different thermodynamic forces.