This research effort examines the solidification of intermetallic and ceramic compounds with emphasis on phase selection, subsequent microstructural evolution, solute redistribution, and morphological development. The materials systems selected for study have at least one compound that is ordered up to the melting temperature, but can be disordered or replaced by an alternative structure when supercooling and/or solidification rates are increased. Compounds under study include ordered versions of common binary intermetallic alloys, ternary intermetallics and rock-salt spinel systems. The research combines a variety of experimental techniques with modeling work on nucleation, rapid growth, and heat flow involved in the processing.
