Anisotropy of the solid liquid interface and its effect on heterogeneous nucleation in aluminium-based melts

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Jürgen Brillo
• Subject Area: Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials and their Microstructural Origins
• Term: from 2007 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 51421667

For modelling and understanding of heterogeneous nucleation processes, the precise knowledge of the involved interfacial energies is essential. In particular, the solid-liquid interfacial energy, which describes the interaction of a melt with a solid, is of great importance. Generally, it strongly depends on the crystallographic orientation of the substrate. It is the goal of this project to study this anisotropy of liquid Al-Ni and Cu-Ni alloys being in contact with solid inert non-metallic or non-inert metallic single crystalline substrates. The interfacial energies will be measured by means of the sessile drop method as a function of temperature, alloy composition, and crystallographic orientation. Our results will be discussed in terms of thermodynamic model calculations. They are not only the experimental basis for the verification of Monte Carlo- and Molecular Dynamics simulations, they will also be compared with corresponding results of phase field simulations.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1296: Heterogeneous Nucleation and Microstructure Formation: Steps towards a System- and Scale-bridging Understanding
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Iván Egry