Entropy 2014, 16, 1756-1807; doi:10.3390/e16031756 OPEN ACCESS entropy ISSN 1099-4300 www.mdpi.com/journal/entropy Article Entropy Principle and Recent Results in Non-Equilibrium Theories Vito Antonio Cimmelli 1;*, David Jou 2, Tommaso Ruggeri 3 and Péter Ván 4;5;6 1 Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics, University of Basilicata, Potenza 85100, Italy 2 Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, and Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Barcelona, Catalonia 08193, Spain; E-Mail:
[email protected] 3 Department of Mathematics and Research Center of Applied Mathematics, University of Bologna, Bologna 40123, Italy; E-Mail:
[email protected] 4 Department of Theoretical Physics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Budapest 1121, Hungary; E-Mail:
[email protected] 5 Department of Energy Engineering, BME, Budapest 1111, Hungary 6 Montavid Thermodynamic Research Group, Budapest 1112 , Hungary * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +39-097-120-5885; Fax: +39-097-120-5896. Received: 30 December 2013; in revised form: 27 January 2014 / Accepted: 7 March 2014 / Published: 24 March 2014 Abstract: We present the state of the art on the modern mathematical methods of exploiting the entropy principle in thermomechanics of continuous media. A survey of recent results and conceptual discussions of this topic in some well-known non-equilibrium theories (Classical irreversible thermodynamics CIT, Rational thermodynamics RT, Thermodynamics of irreversible processes TIP, Extended irreversible thermodynamics EIT, Rational Extended thermodynamics RET) is also summarized. Keywords: continuum thermodynamics; entropy principle; rational thermodynamics; classical irreversible thermodynamics; extended irreversible thermodynamics; rational extended thermodynamics; exploitation of second law PACS Classification: 03.50.-z, 05.70.Ln, 05.70.Ce Entropy 2014, 16 1757 1.