Insight into the wetting behavior and interfacial evolution of Sn-xZr/ZrO₂ systems at 850-950 ℃

The wetting behavior of the Sn-Zr/ZrO₂ system was investigated by different drop methods, and the influencing of temperature and Zr content on the wetting interfacial microstructure were analyzed using SEM, XRD, and TEM. The typical wetting interfacial microstructure is: β-Sn+ZrSn₂/m-ZrO₂ + β-Sn/t-ZrO₂. Temperature and Zr content both influence the interfacial reaction, thereby influencing the wetting of the Sn-Zr alloy on the ZrO₂ surface; however, the impact results are different. The wettability of the Sn-Zr/ZrO₂ system mainly depends on the continuity of the m-ZrO₂ layer and is unaffected by its thickness. When the m-ZrO₂ layer is continuous, the effect of the quantity of ZrSn₂ phases on the wettability begins to be noticed. The diffusion and reaction control model was used to analyze the wetting behavior of Sn-Zr alloy on ZrO₂ surfaces, thus determining that the Sn-Zr/ZrO₂ system is a typical reactive wetting system, with a calculated spreading activation energy of approximately 116.77 kJ/mol.