Intrinsic diffusion coefficients and the vacancy flow factor in Dilute Cu-Zn Alloys

Abstract

Interdiffusion coefficients in copper-rich copper-zinc solid solutions containing up to 8 at. pct of Zn at 1168 K have been determined by Matano's analysis using semi-infinite diffusion couples consisting of pure copper and Cu-Zn alloys with Kirkendall markers. From the marker shift and Darken's relation, intrinsic diffusion coefficients, DZn and DCu, in the alloys containing 3.2 and 4.7 at. pct of Zn have been determined. Further, using thin plate couples, DZn and DCu in Cu alloys containing 0.9, 2.3, 3.5, and 4.6 at. pct of Zn at 1168 K have been determined by Heumann's method. The ratio of the intrinsic diffusion coefficients, DZn/DCu, has been found to be about two for all the compositions examined. Using the values of the intrinsic diffusion coefficient of copper at infinite dilution of zinc obtained by extrapolating the concentration dependence of DCu, and the self- and impurity diffusion coefficients in pure copper, the vacancy flow factor has been estimated to be - 0.22-0.15+0.06 at 1168 K. By combining this value of the vacancy flow factor with the solute enhancement factor of solvent diffusion determined by Peterson and Rothman, the correlation factor for impurity diffusion of Zn in Cu at 1168 K has been evaluated to be 0.5, which is in good agreement with the value of 0.47 determined by Peterson and Rothman based on the isotope effect measurement.