Abstract
It has been known for some years that, under appropriate conditions, palladium will interact with magnesium oxide at temperatures well below the melting point of the metal. Several studies based upon bright field transmission electron microscopy (BFTEM) have already been carried out. This work established the following main points about the reaction.The phenomenon observed is a reaction.The reacting phase exhibits characteristics typical of liquid substances.The reaction proceeds by means of an amorphous phase at a temperature lower than the melting point of either material.The ceramic remains virtually strain-free during the reaction as well as after normal or quench-rate cooling.The reaction phase maintains an amorphous structure when cooled slowly or quenched.X-ray microprobe analysis on the reaction zone indicated that at least 95% of the cations were palladium.This paper discusses recent findings from further studies made using the VG-HB5 scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and the JEOL 200CX (BFTEM).
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)