Heterogeneous nucleation of pure gold on highly smooth ceramic substrates and the influence of lattice misfit and cooling rate

The present paper considers the heterogeneous nucleation of pure Au droplet solidified on a single crystal substrate plate under the influence of lattice misfit and cooling rate. The undercooling of droplet was measured by DSC. The experimental results present that the undercooling of Au droplet is directly proportional to both the lattice misfit and the cooling rate. It means that the heterogeneous nucleation can be significantly driven by lattice misfit and cooling rate. In addition, the related results show that the relationship between the undercooling and the cooling rate of Au droplet is independent on the lattice misfit. The results with respect to the interface of solidified Au and substrate analyzed by HRTEM prove that the orientation relationship between the substrate and the solidified Au matches with the minimum lattice misfit.