Interface Interactions of Dissimilar Materials at Elevated Temperatures

This paper reviews some of the chemical interactions that occurred at the interface of ceramic/molten metal liquids. Control of interfacial reactions between dissimilar materials is an important issue in numerous technological applications, such as brazing of ceramics to metals, design of ceramic–metal composites, coatings of ceramics on metal substrates, and development of crucibles for melting of refractory metals. In ceramic/metal systems, wetting of the ceramic surface by the liquid metal is typically accompanied to some extent by interfacial reactions. The chemical incompatibility between the metal and non-metallic materials can result in the formation of undesirable phases, due to the chemical and metallurgical reactions that take place during processing or in service. There is a need, therefore, to characterize the governing factors and reaction pathways at these interfaces. So, when the reaction products obtained during interdiffusion processing are not favorable, the diffusion pathway can be modified to control their formation.