A DSC study of undercooling thermodynamics and crystallization kinetics for liquid Ag-Si alloys

The undercooling thermodynamics and crystallization kinetics of pure silver, hypoeutectic Ag-2%Si, and eutectic Ag-3.1%Si alloys were explored with differential scanning calorimetry. Liquid silver was highly undercooled by an extent of 200 K (0.16T_m) within molten B₂O₃ denucleating agent. The nucleating incubation time and crystallization kinetics were investigated under isothermal condition. It was found that the crystal incubation time of nucleation generally decreased with enhanced undercooling. The analyses based on classical nucleation theory showed that heterogeneous nucleation was still dominant even at substantial undercoolings. The transformed solid fraction was derived to elucidate the crystallization kinetics of liquid silver by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation. The Avrami exponent was revealed to vary with liquid undercooling and crystallization extent. High cooling rate and denucleating agent were two effective ways to achieve large undercoolings for liquid Ag-Si alloys. The primary (Ag) dendrites were refined with increased undercoolings in hypoeutectic Ag-2%Si alloy. Irregular (Ag)+(Si) eutectics were the typical solidification microstructures for eutectic Ag-3.1%Si alloy at small undercoolings, while primary (Ag) dendrites displayed a remarkable volume fraction at extended undercoolings.