Phase equilibria and diffusion coefficients in the Fe-Zn binary system

Abstract

Phase diagram and diffusion coefficients of the Fe-Zn binary system are required to predict and control the microstructure of galvanized zinc coatings and thus were systematically investigated in the temperature range from 700 to 1100 °C using nine novel Fe/Zn liquid-solid diffusion couples (LSDCs). The equilibrium compositions of the α and Γ phases of the Fe-Zn system were determined and agree well with the recently established Fe-Zn phase diagram. The extracted interdiffusion coefficients in α-Fe at temperatures between 700 and 1100 °C and in Γ at 750 and 700 °C using the forward-simulation analysis (FSA) extend the experimental interdiffusivity measurements to the whole solubility range of these two phases. Three impurity diffusion coefficients of Zn in paramagnetic α-Fe were also determined by the FSA and show good agreement with the literature data. The temperature dependence of the Zn impurity diffusion coefficients in both the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic α-Fe phases across the Curie temperature TC was established by analyzing the reliable experimental results as well as by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The newly measured phase equilibrium and diffusivity data provide reliable inputs for future thermodynamic and kinetic modeling of the Fe-Zn system.