Chemical ordering in high-temperature metallic melts

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Iván Egry
• Subject Area: Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2002 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5383023

The chemical order in metallic melts is best investigated by atomic probes like synchrotron radiation or neutrons. It is most pronounced in the deeply undercooled state of the liquid, which can be only reached by containerless methods. The combination of inductive rf-heating with aerodynamic levitation offers distinct advantages over previously used methods: rf-heating provides a homogeneous heating avoiding hot spots like in laser heating, and aerodynamic levitation is the most robust and versatile technique available, which, as an extra bonus, allows us to vary the chemical environment (gas atmosphere) of the liquid specimen. With such a device it will be possible to study the nature of chemical bonding in pure and binary systems as a function of temperature and to observe the formation of clusters and other compositional fluctuations. Information on the nearest neighbor distance and coordination number, as well on the intermediate-range order, will become available, even for temperatures well above 1000°C, where other methods present severe difficulties. This project will open the door to an improved understanding of the chemical ordering and bonding in refractory liquid metals and alloys, as well as paving the way for studying more complex systems such as carbides and nitrides, many of which have metallic character in the melt.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France
• Participating Person: Dr. David L. Price