A critical review on applications of the Avrami equation beyond materials science

The Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) formalization, often referred to as the Avrami equation, was originally developed to describe the progress of phase transformations in material systems. Many other transformations in the life, physical and social sciences follow a similar pattern of nucleation and growth. The Avrami equation has been applied widely to modelling such phenomena, including COVID-19, regardless of whether they have a formal thermodynamic basis. We present here an analytical overview of such applications of the Avrami equation outside its conventional use, emphasizing examples from the life sciences. We discuss the similarities that at least partially justify the extended application of the…