Basics of Phases and Phase Transformations W. Püschl University of Vienna
Content 1. Historical context 2. Classification of phase transformations 3. Graphical thermodynamics – Phase diagrams 4. Miscibility Gap – Precipitation nucleation vs. spinodal decomposition 5. Order 6. Ising model: atomic and magnetic spin configuration 7. Martensitic transformations
Early technological application of poly-phase systems: Damascus Steel
Aloys v. Widmannstätten 1808 Iron meteorite cut, polished, and etched: Intricate pattern appears
Oldest age hardening curve: Wilms Al-Cu(Mg,Mn,Fe, Si) alloy Retarded precipitation of a disperse phase.
A scientific understanding of phases and phase transformation begins to develop end 19th / beginning 20th centuries physical metallurgy Experimental: Gustav Tammann (Göttingen) Theoretical: Josiah Willard Gibbs
What is a phase? Region where intrinsic parameters have (more or less) the same value lattice structure, composition x, degree of order , density ,… Need not be simply (singly) connected. Expreme example: disperse phase and matrix phase where it is embedded (like Swiss cheese) When is a phase thermodynamically stable? How can we determine wihich phase is stable at a certain composition, temperature (and pressure, magnetic field…) What happens if this is not the case metastability or phase transition How can a phase transition take place?
Ehrenfest (1933) 1st oder phase transition2nd order (generally: higher order)
Free energy vs. order parameter according to Landau Higher-order phase transition 1st oder phase transition
Chemical potentials g i of the components
Gibbs phase rule f = (n - 1) – n ( - 1) + 2 = n - + 2
Liquid-solid transition of a two-component System (Ge-Si)
Excess enthalpy and miscibility gap
Excess enthalpy and miscibility gap
Precipitation: alternative mechanisms
Heterophase fluctuation corresponds to nucleation Homophase fluctuation corresponds to spinodal decomposition
Free energy of a spherical precipitate particle
Ni 36 Cu 9 Al 55 Precipitation by nucleation and growth: N V particle number, c supersaturation, mean particle radius
Spinodal Decomposition
Excess enthalpy Positive: like atoms preferred: Phase separation Negative: unlike atoms preferred: ordering Short range order: there is (local) pair correlation Cowley- Warren SRO parameter Decay with distance from reference atom If they do not decay long range order
disordered state (bcc) Long range order: out of bcc structure the B2 (CsCl) structure arises ordered state (B2) disordered state (bcc)
Long range order: B2 (CsCl) representatives
D0 3 stoichiometry 3:1 Out of the same bcc structure:
L1 2 Long range order out of the fcc structure:
L1 2 ordered state L1 2 disordered state (fcc)
L1 2 representatives
fcc L1 0 stoichiometry 1:1
representatives fcc L1 0 stoichiometry 1:1
Different long range ordered structures in the Cu-Au phase diagram L1 2 L1 0 L1 2 L1 0
L1 2 L1 0 CuAu II (long period.) L1 2 L1 0 Different long range ordered structures in the Cu-Au phase diagram
Fcc L1 1 stoichiometry 1:1
Statistical physics of ordered alloys Partition function Possibly different vibration spectrum for every atom configuration Does it really matter?
FePd: Density of phonon states g( ) L1 0 - ordered fcc disordered Mehaddene et al. 2004
Bragg – Williams model: only nn pair interactions, disregard pair correlations R long range order parameter tanh R/ <1 >1 Simplifying almost everything:
Different levels of approximation in calculating internal interaction energy Bragg-Williams Experiment Quasi-chemical quasi-chemical Experiment Bragg-Williams
Ising model (Lenz + Ising 1925) Can be brought to Ising form by identifying (for nn interaction) Hamiltonian for alloy (pair interaction model) p i n atom occupation function
Idea of mean field model: treat a few local interactions explicitly, environment of similar cells is averaged and exerts a mean field of interaction
Local interaction only 1 atom Bragg- Williams – model Correspondences: Phase-separating ferromagnetic Long range ordering antiferromagnetic ferromagnetic
Structure on polished surface after martensitic transformation: roof-like, but no steps. A scratched line remains continuous
Martensite morphologies
Homogeneous distorsion by a martensitic transformation
First step :Transformation into a new lattice type: Bain transformation
Second step: Misfit is accomodated by a complementary transformation: twinning or dislocation glide
Thermoelastic Martensites: Four symmetric variants per glide plane: Can be transformed into one another by twinning
Shape Memory effect
Final remarks: As the number of components grows and interaction mechanisma are added, phase transformations can gain considerable complexity For instance: Phase separation and ordering (opposites in simple systems) may happen at the same time. I have completely omitted many interesting topics, for instance Gas-to-liquid or liquid-to-liquid transformations The role of quantum phenomena at low-temperature phases Dynamical phase transformations, self-organized phases far from equilibrium