Stable miscibility gap in liquid Cu–Zr–Ag ternary alloy

The microstructure of solidified liquid ternary Cu–Zr–Ag alloys was investigated. It has been found that a stable liquid miscibility gap exists in the ternary field of the Cu–Ag–Zr system. It was confirmed that cooling the melt beyond a certain limit (TSEP) resulted in a liquid phase separation into two liquids: one is Ag-rich liquid (L1) and the other one is liquid rich in Cu–Zr (L2). Three microstructures can be distinguished during the liquid separation process as a function of L1. Our research focuses on the quantitative determination of the boundary of the liquid miscibility gap on the basis of microstructure evolution, by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► A stable liquid phase separation occurs in Cu–Zr–Ag system. ► Boundary of miscibility gap in liquid was determined in the ternary diagram. ► The corresponding tie lines in the ternary alloy diagram were drown. ► The data were determined by experiments and confirmed by calculation.