Investigation of Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions in Molten Aluminates Under Containerless Conditions

Aluminum oxide-yttrium oxide (AY) compositions form liquids that undergo a variety of metastable behaviors, including glass formation and liquid-liquid phase transitions. Containerless techniques in combination with the reduced fluid motion achieved in low gravity provide the control needed to study the kinetics of phase transitions in diffusion-limited transport conditions and to obtain accurate measurements of the viscosity of the undercooled liquid. Containerless liquid phase processing experiments have established 1) conditions for phase transitions in AY liquids, 2) that the liquid structure plays an important role in glass formation and increased liquid viscosity, and 3) requirements for microgravity experiments on AY liquids. Results of the research are discussed in the context of developing a microgravity research experiment.