Bifurcation of the Kirkendall plane and patterning in reactive diffusion

Abstract

It is demonstrated that the formation of reaction zone morphologies periodic in time and space can be considered as a manifestation of the Kirkendall effect accompanying interdiffusion in the solid state. In a diffusion-controlled interaction, the Kirkendall marker plane can bifurcate, which is attributed to diverging vacancy fluxes in the reaction zone. When the Kirkendall plane is present in a phase layer, it attracts in situ-produced inclusions of secondary-formed phase, which, in turn, can result in a highly patterned microstructure.