Controlling Phase Growth During Solidification by Nanoparticles

Controlling phase growth during solidification is essential to obtain desirable structures and properties in metallic materials by casting. However, only limited ways are available for controlling the growth of phases during solidification. Here, we report a general approach to control the growth of phase domains during solidification by adsorption of nanoparticles on the growing interface. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated in an Sn-Al alloy. With nanoparticle-enabled growth control, the size of the primary Al phase is reduced substantially and the dendrite growth is restricted. This work potentially provides an effective way to control the structure of alloys during solidification.