April 7 - 11, 2025
Seattle, Washington
Symposium Supporters
2025 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit
MT05.06.08

Origin of the Reaction Temperature in Solid-State Materials Synthesis

When and Where

Apr 10, 2025
11:15am - 11:30am
Summit, Level 4, Room 421

Presenter(s)

Co-Author(s)

Shibo Tan1,Gabrielle Kamm2,Alex Stangel1,Paul Chao1,Ashwin Shahani1,Robert Hovden1,Karena Chapman2,Wenhao Sun1

University of Michigan1,Stony Brook University, The State University of New York2

Abstract

Shibo Tan1,Gabrielle Kamm2,Alex Stangel1,Paul Chao1,Ashwin Shahani1,Robert Hovden1,Karena Chapman2,Wenhao Sun1

University of Michigan1,Stony Brook University, The State University of New York2
Solid-state synthesis is the primary method for manufacturing inorganic materials, yet lacks mechanistic theories to predict optimal reaction temperatures. Recent observations suggest transient liquid intermediates may serve as diffusion media in solid-state reactions at subsolidus temperatures. Here, we hypothesize that in a solid-state reaction A+ B AB, precursors A and B first melt into a metastable liquid phase before forming the solid AB product. This theory derives the reaction onset temperature by extending liquidus curves into the metastable eutectic region of the temperature-composition phase diagram. We validate this theory using a thermal gradient heater coupled with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction to produce temperature-time-transformation curves, which largely align with theoretical predictions. In situ transmission electron microscopy at the reaction onset temperature reveals melting between nanoscale precursor particles.
Calculations based on in situ nanotomography characterization of reaction precursors and products demonstrate that the observed reaction rates require diffusivity values significantly higher than those achievable through solid-state vacancy-mediated diffusion, strongly supporting the presence of a liquid diffusion medium.

Keywords

chemical reaction | phase transformation

Symposium Organizers

S. B. Majumder, University of Washington
Xin Qi, Dartmouth College
Menglin Chen, Aarhus University
Chenyang Shi, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Symposium Support

Bronze
Center for the Science of Synthesis Across Scales

Session Chairs

Menglin Chen
Chenyang Shi

In this Session