title: Ordered liquid aluminum at the interface with sapphire.
abstract: Understanding the nature of solid-liquid interfaces is important for many processes of technological interest, such as solidification, liquid-phase epitaxial growth, wetting, liquid-phase joining, crystal growth, and lubrication. Recent studies have reported on indirect evidence of density fluctuations at solid-liquid interfaces on the basis of x-ray scattering methods that have been complemented by atomistic simulations. We provide evidence for ordering of liquid atoms adjacent to an interface with a crystal, based on real-time high-temperature observations of alumina-aluminum solid-liquid interfaces at the atomic-length scale. In addition, crystal growth of alumina into liquid aluminum, facilitated by interfacial transport of oxygen from the microscope column, was observed in situ with the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kauffmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheu
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rühle