Melting process of nanometer-sized In particles embedded in an Al matrix synthesized by ball milling

Abstract

Dispersions of nanometer-sized In particles embedded in an Al matrix (10 wt. % In) have been synthesized by ball milling of a mixture of Al and In powders. The as-milled product was characterized by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM), respectively. It was found that In and Al are pure components immiscible with each other, with nanometer-sized In particles dispersively embedded in the Al matrix. The melting behavior of In particles was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The calorimetric measurements indicate that both the melting point and the melting enthalpy of the In nanoparticles decrease with increasing milling time, or refinement of the In particles. Compared to its bulk melting temperature, a melting point depression of 13.4 K was observed when the mean grain size of In is 15 nm, and the melting point depression of In nanoparticles is proportional to the reciprocal of the mean grain size. The melting enthalpy depression was interpreted according to the two-state concept for the nanoparticles. Melting of the interface was deduced to be an exothermal process due to its large excess energy/volume.