Equilibrium study of the Cu–O–SiO2 system at various oxygen partial pressures

• Phase equilibria of the Cu–O–SiO2 system in various PO2 have been determined.
• The experimental work extended up to 1773 K.
• Reliable compositions of the molten phase in Cu–O–SiO2 system were obtained.
• Solid solubilities in the primary phases have been confirmed.
• New phase boundary and eutectic point data have been collected.

Phase relationships of the Cu–O–SiO2 system in various boundary conditions (metallic copper saturation, under oxygen partial pressures of 0.01 atm and 0.21 atm) have been experimentally determined by the equilibration/quenching/EPMA technique up to 1773 K. No ternary compounds were observed. An isopleth (Cu2O–SiO2) was used to represent the liquidus in equilibrium with air (PO2 = 0.21 atm). One simple eutectic reaction with two primary phases (copper oxide and SiO2) was found. The eutectic point was determined to be 1336 ± 2 K and 0.23 ± 0.01 mol fraction of SiO2. Equilibrium at copper saturation was achieved in an inert atmosphere of purified argon gas (PO2 ≈ 10−5 atm) within the temperature range from 1453 K to the critical point of Cu–O system (1620 K). Above 1620 K, experiments were conducted in a N2 atmosphere containing 1% O2 by volume (PO2 = 0.01 atm). The copper-saturated results were presented on ternary Cu–O–SiO2 phase diagrams, and the eutectic point was found to be 1456 ± 2 K and 0.08 ± 0.01 mol fraction of SiO2, 0.60 ± 0.01 mol fraction of Cu. The experimental results have been compared with previous studies and the phase diagrams calculated by MTDATA 5.10 software and its Mtox 8.1 database. The agreement within the temperature range of 1333–1623 K is good. Phase equilibria in the temperature range from T = (1673–1773) K with SiO2 as the primary phase has been studied systematically for the first time.

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