A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films
Nucleation, the initial formation of a new phase from a parent phase, plays an important role in the eventual microstructure and properties of materials. Theories and models of nucleation have been integral to materials science for close to a century. These models assume that the parent material is...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AIP Publishing LLC
2019-03-01
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| Series: | AIP Advances |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5080312 |
| _version_ | 1798045036295749632 |
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| author | Shane Q. Arlington Feng Yi David A. LaVan Timothy P. Weihs |
| author_facet | Shane Q. Arlington Feng Yi David A. LaVan Timothy P. Weihs |
| author_sort | Shane Q. Arlington |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nucleation, the initial formation of a new phase from a parent phase, plays an important role in the eventual microstructure and properties of materials. Theories and models of nucleation have been integral to materials science for close to a century. These models assume that the parent material is compositionally homogeneous on length-scales relevant to nucleation. However, in certain materials – such as thin films or reactive nanolaminates – sharp gradients in the composition may influence nucleation. Models and theories exploring these impacts are based on little direct experimental data. Here we present means of producing and characterizing samples with composition gradients to measure the impacts of gradients on nucleation. We fabricate amorphous Cu-Zr films with known composition gradients through their thicknesses; we perform isochronal nanocalorimetry to measure the impact of the gradients on nucleation and growth; and we characterize the samples before and after reaction. We see evidence of phase separation of the vapor-quenched Cu-Zr amorphous films. While we measure differences between the samples with gradients and those without, the gradients relax sufficiently during heating such that nucleation (the onset of crystallization) occurs at the same temperatures. For both sets of samples we find three distinct regions of heat release: the first we attribute to local ordering, the second to extended phase separation and interdiffusion, and the third to nucleation and growth of the Cu10Zr7 crystalline phase. This work represents a first step towards investigating the impact of gradients on nucleation, as well as growth. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:14:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4444859eb27647d9aeeb2cb77e933056 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-3226 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:14:05Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | AIP Publishing LLC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIP Advances |
| spelling | doaj.art-4444859eb27647d9aeeb2cb77e9330562022-12-22T03:57:40ZengAIP Publishing LLCAIP Advances2158-32262019-03-0193035324035324-1010.1063/1.5080312038903ADVA nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin filmsShane Q. Arlington0Feng Yi1David A. LaVan2Timothy P. Weihs3Johns Hopkins University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 3400 Charles St. Maryland Hall 011, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USANational Institute of Standards and Technology, Material Measurement Laboratory, Mailstop 8520, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USANational Institute of Standards and Technology, Material Measurement Laboratory, Mailstop 8520, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USAJohns Hopkins University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, 3400 Charles St. Maryland Hall 115, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USANucleation, the initial formation of a new phase from a parent phase, plays an important role in the eventual microstructure and properties of materials. Theories and models of nucleation have been integral to materials science for close to a century. These models assume that the parent material is compositionally homogeneous on length-scales relevant to nucleation. However, in certain materials – such as thin films or reactive nanolaminates – sharp gradients in the composition may influence nucleation. Models and theories exploring these impacts are based on little direct experimental data. Here we present means of producing and characterizing samples with composition gradients to measure the impacts of gradients on nucleation. We fabricate amorphous Cu-Zr films with known composition gradients through their thicknesses; we perform isochronal nanocalorimetry to measure the impact of the gradients on nucleation and growth; and we characterize the samples before and after reaction. We see evidence of phase separation of the vapor-quenched Cu-Zr amorphous films. While we measure differences between the samples with gradients and those without, the gradients relax sufficiently during heating such that nucleation (the onset of crystallization) occurs at the same temperatures. For both sets of samples we find three distinct regions of heat release: the first we attribute to local ordering, the second to extended phase separation and interdiffusion, and the third to nucleation and growth of the Cu10Zr7 crystalline phase. This work represents a first step towards investigating the impact of gradients on nucleation, as well as growth.http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5080312 |
| spellingShingle | Shane Q. Arlington Feng Yi David A. LaVan Timothy P. Weihs A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films AIP Advances |
| title | A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films |
| title_full | A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films |
| title_fullStr | A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films |
| title_full_unstemmed | A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films |
| title_short | A nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous Cu-Zr thin films |
| title_sort | nanocalorimetric study of the effect of composition gradients on crystallization in amorphous cu zr thin films |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5080312 |
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