Phase equilibria, thermodynamics and microstructure simulation of metastable spinodal decomposition in c–Ti1−xAlxN coatings

Abstract Based on the experimental equilibrium data on spinodal decomposition in the literature together with the newly measured data in the present work, a complete metastable phase diagram for the pseudo-binary c–TiN/c-AlN system was constructed for the first time, from which a self-consistent thermodynamic description was then established by means of CALculation of PHAse Diagram (CALPHAD) method with the aid of first-principles computed free energies. By coupling with the CALPHAD thermodynamic database, two- and three-dimensional quantitative numerical simulations of microstructure evolution in metastable c–Ti1−xAlxN coatings during spinodal decomposition were performed using Cahn-Hilliard model. Three sets of diffusivity data available in the literature were carefully screened by comparing the simulated microstructures with the experimental ones, and one of them was chosen for the final simulations. The simulated composition wavelengths during spinodal decomposition at different temperatures agree with the experimental data. Moreover, the effect of the composition fluctuation on the microstructure evolution during spinodal decomposition was also comprehensively investigated.