Feathery structure discovered in the reaction zone of diffusion couple Zn/CuTi_2

摘要

A new morphology named as feathery structure was firstly discovered in the reaction zone of system Zn/CuTi_2 annealed at 663 K for various times. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), it was clarified that the rachis of the feathery structure contains the aggregated phases of TiZn_3 and CuZn_2, while the barb is really the periodic-layered structure of the two phases. The formation mechanism was ascribed to the serrated co-growth of the periodic-layered structure and the aggregate structure at the reaction front corresponding to the different crystal orientations of substrate CuTi_2. Very importantly, the discovery of the feathery structure provided a clear and comprehensive pattern for understanding the morphology evolution of the ternary systems from the simple-layered structure to the complicated feathery structure.