Determination of the thermodynamic functions and calculation of phase diagrams for metastable phases

High-throughput investigation of crystal-to-glass transformation of Ti-Ni-Cu ternary alloy

A high-throughput investigation of metallic glass formation via solid-state reaction was reported in this paper. Combinatorial multilayered thin-film chips covering the entire Ti-Ni-Cu ternary system were prepared using ion beam sputtering technique. Microbeam synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements were conducted, with 1,325 data points collected from each chip, to map out the composition and the phase constitution before and after annealing at 373 K for 110 hours. The composition dependence of the crystal-to-glass transition by solid-state reaction was surveyed using this approach. The resulting composition-phase map is consistent with previously reported results. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) was performed on the representative compositions to determine the inter-diffusion between layers, the result shows that the diffusion of Ti is the key factor for the crystal-to-glass transition. In addition, both layer thickness and layer sequence play important roles as well. This work demonstrates that combinatorial chip technique is an efficient way for systematic and rapid study of crystal-to-glass transition for multi-component alloy systems.

Which Systems Can Undergo Inverse Melting?

In the process of inverse melting, a crystalline solid solution on cooling becomes less energetically stable than the isocompositional undercooled liquid or amorphous phase. Due to this, the crystal may transform polymorphously to the amorphous or liquid phase. A thermodynamic requirement for this process is the presence of two crossing points of the free energy curves G(T) of the crystalline and liquid or amorphous phases. Fulfillment of the thermodynamic requirement is however not a sufficient criterion for inverse melting to occur. In the present work the question posed in the title is addressed from both a thermodynamic as well as a kinetic standpoint. It is shown that in bcc phases which would otherwise undergo inverse melting, the presence of an energetically favorable B2 phase may prevent inverse melting due to its fast ordering kinetics. This imposes an e/a limit to the occurrence of inverse melting.

Kinetics of Interface Reactions in Polycrystalline Thin Films

A quantitative description of the nucleation and growth kinetics determining the interface reactions between two phases is given. Particular focus is given to the understanding of the mechanisms causing the distinct phase selection occurring during the early stages of interface reaction. Thereby the microstructure of the parent phases and the new phases formed are also taken into account and discussed with respect to their influence on the phase selection. The conclusions are applied to the results of two model systems, Al-Ni and Zr-Ni.

Metallic Glasses

Amorphous metallic alloys, relative newcomers to the world of glasses, have properties that are unusual for solid metals. The metallic glasses, which exist in a very wide variety of compositions, combine fundamental interest with practical applications. They also serve as precursors for exciting new nanocrystalline materials. Their magnetic (soft and hard) and mechanical properties are of particular interest.