M. Gervais et al., CRYSTALLIZATION OF Y3AL5O12 GARNET FROM DEEP UNDERCOOLED MELT EFFECT OF THE AL-GA SUBSTITUTION, Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology, 45(1-3), 1997, pp. 108-113
Melts of garnet Y3Al5O12 and compositions lying on both sides of this
compound were rapidly cooled in contactless conditions by using an aer
odynamic levitation device coupled with a CO2 laser. The crystallized
phases were analyzed at room temperature by XRD and Al-17 MAS NMR. As
the temperature reached by the supercooled melt decreases. the solidif
ication was shown to lead successively to a mixture of YAlO3 and Al2O3
, a monophasic garnet type structure and a glass. The formation of Y3A
l5O12 starts at about 920 degrees C under the melting temperature and
only 50 degrees C above the glass transition temperature. The solidifi
cation behaviour of liquid Y3Al5-xGaxO12 (x = 0.5, l) was similar. Res
ults clearly show the difficulties of garnet to nucleate. They are con
sistent with a rapid increase of the melt viscosity in the temperature
range just above the formation of glass. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.
V.