Topology-generating interfacial pattern formation during liquid metal dealloying
Liquid metal dealloying has emerged as a novel technique to produce topologically complex nanoporous and nanocomposite structures with ultra-high interfacial area and other unique properties relevant for diverse material applications. This process is empirically known to require the selective dissolution of one element of a multicomponent solid alloy into a liquid metal to obtain desirable structures. However, how structures form is not known. Here we demonstrate, using mesoscale phase-field modelling and experiments, that nano/microstructural pattern formation during dealloying results from the interplay of (i) interfacial spinodal decomposition, forming compositional domain structures enriched in the immiscible element, and (ii) diffusion-coupled growth of the enriched solid phase and the liquid phase into the alloy. We highlight how those two basic mechanisms interact to yield a rich variety of topologically disconnected and connected structures. Furthermore, we deduce scaling laws governing microstructural length scales and dealloying kinetics.
- Authors:
-
[1]
; [2]
; [2]
; [2]
; [1]
- Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States)
- Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-07ER46400
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Research Org:
- Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; physical sciences; materials science
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1239972
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript (DOE)
- Publisher's Version of Record
- https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9887