The Zr–Sn binary system: New experimental results and thermodynamic assessment

The Zr–Sn binary system has been reinvestigated by several experimental techniques: X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis, mass density and calorimetry measurements. The existence of a miscibility gap inside the homogeneity domain of the ηη phase (Zr5Sn3–Zr5Sn4) has been confirmed. It has been also shown that Zr substitution on the Sn sublattice is responsible for the non-stoichiometry of the AA15 phase (Zr4Sn). The temperature of the peritectoid reaction βZr+A15↔αZr has been determined to be at 1216 K that is 40∘40∘ below the temperature reported in the literature. All these new experimental data have been taken into account for a new thermodynamic assessment of this system.