non-equilibriumn.adj.

1791 Philos. Trans. 1790 (Royal Soc.) 80 526 The non-equilibrium of the particles in motion.

1879 Appletons' Jrnl. June 525/1 The generative cause of genius is non-equilibrium, which gives to some faculties the exclusive predominance over all the others conjoined.

1938 J. Newton Introd. Metall. vi. 162 The iron-carbon equilibrium diagram..is the best diagram to illustrate the meaning of equilibrium and non-equilibrium.

1971 Contrib. Mineral. & Petrol. 32 165 Some magnetites..that show a wide variation of Cr content also give very erratic oxygen isotopic results, suggesting non-equilibrium.

1918 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 217 33 It is conceivable that the series of non-equilibrium configurations might ultimately coalesce with the series of equilibrium configurations.

1946 Science 31 May 670/1 The prediction of rates of reactions or other events in nonequilibrium states from equilibrium equations is both hazardous and complicated.

1971 Nature 17 Dec. 393/1 Nonequilibrium thermodynamics, as developed by Onsager and others, has been successful in correlating many physical, chemical and biological phenomena.

1991 Mech. Engin. Sept. 136/2 Narayan's process transpires so quickly that it freezes the atoms into the metastable nonequilibrium diamond crystal state, preventing them from returning to carbon's equilibrium state, graphite.