Growth kinetics of tin whiskers in Ti2SnC phase

Abstract

The extrusion of Sn whiskers from Ti2SnC phase, a layered ternary carbide ceramic MAX phase, has ultrafast whisker growth behaviors and good experimental repeatability. This makes MAX phase an ideal research platform for the investigation of metallic whiskers. This work aims at revealing the growth kinetics of Sn whiskers from Ti2SnC substrate, which still does not exist. By conducting a quantitative analysis on the whisker growth behavior, three stages of the growth of Sn whiskers on the Ti2SnC substrate are identified: nucleation, germination and saturation. Moreover, the function of volume change versus cultivation time is well fitted using the Avrami equation, implying that the growth of Sn whiskers from Ti2SnC substrate follows a general crystallization pattern.