Reactive wetting of a metal/ceramic system

Abstract

The mechanism of reactive wetting of metal/ceramic was investigated on the basis of a detailed description of the thermodynamics of interfacial reactions. The interfacial reaction of the metal/ceramic system has been treated as the reaction between the surface phase of the metal matrix and that of the substrate. It is concluded that reactive wetting is governed not only by the term accounting for the intensity of interfacial chemical reactions but also by the term accounting for the physicochemical properties of the resulting interface. In some cases, only one of them contributes dominantly to wetting. The criteria for the choice of an alloying element to promote wetting should not only include its reactivity with the substrate but also its ability to favorably modify the metal/substrate interface.