Synthesis of Rhenium-Silicide Microcrystals in a Tin Melt

— The present work is aimed at discussing the possibility in principle of obtaining rhenium-silicide microcrystals in tin melt at temperatures of 200–250 K below those used in the synthesis of pure components. The formation of rhenium silicides is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy data. According to phase diagrams, neither rhenium nor silicon is soluble in tin, which does not allow the process to be described in the context of classical solution-melt crystallization theory. In this case, Sn is assumed to be a catalyst in the high-temperature chemical reaction between rhenium and silicon, favoring a decrease in the silicide-formation temperature and opens up the possibility of producing polycrystalline layers of these materials with a temperature gradient.