Rafael Kozubski

We review the results of our Monte Carlo simulation studies carried out within the past two decades in the area of atomic-migration-controlled phenomena in intermetallic compounds. The review aims at showing the high potential of Monte Carlo methods in modelling both the equilibrium states of the systems and the kinetics of the running processes. We focus on three particular problems: (i) the atomistic origin of the complexity of the ‘order-order’ relaxations in γ’-Ni₃Al; (ii) surface-induced ordering phenomena in γ-FePt and (iii) ‘order—order’ kinetics and self-diffusion in the ‘triple-defect’ β-NiAl. The latter investigation demonstrated how diverse Monte Carlo techniques may be used to model the phenomena where equilibrium thermodynamics interplays and competes with kinetic effects.

In this comprehensive and detailed study, vacancy-mediated self-diffusion of A- and B-elements in 'triple-defect' B2-ordered ASB(1-S) binaries is simulated by means of a kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) algorithm involving atomic jumps to nearest-neighbour (nn) and next-nearest-neighbour (nnn) vacancies. The systems are modelled with an Ising-type Hamiltonian with nn and nnn pair interactions complete with migration barriers dependent on local configurations. Self-diffusion is simulated at equilibrium and temperature-dependent vacancy concentrations are generated by means of a Semi Grand Canonical MC (SGCMC) code. The KMC simulations reproduced the phenomena observed experimentally in Ni-Al intermetallics being typical representatives of the 'triple-defect' binaries. In particular, they yielded the characteristic 'V'-shapes of the isothermal concentration dependencies of A- and B-atom diffusivities, as well as the strong enhancement of the B-atom diffusivity in B-rich systems. The atomistic origins of the phenomenon, as well as other features of the simulated self-diffusion such as temperature and composition dependences of tracer correlation factors and activation energies are analyzed in depth in terms of a number of nanoscopic parameters that are able to be tuned and monitored exclusively with atomistic simulations. The roles of equilibrium and kinetic factors in the generation of the observed features are clearly distinguished and elucidated.

In this paper, the diffusion, thermodynamic and thermotransport properties in Cu–Ag liquid alloys are extensively investigated with molecular dynamics over a wide composition and temperature range. The simulations are performed with the most reliable EAM potential. The Green-Kubo formalism is employed for calculating transport properties. It is found that the reduced heat of transport in Cu–Ag is very small (about 0.10 eV in absolute value) and almost temperature independent. Further it is found that the interdiffusion coefficient together with both self-diffusion coefficients are almost composition independent. In Cu–Ag, the thermodynamic factor is found to be less than unity whereas the Manning factor is greater than unity (with significant composition and temperature dependence) and their product is very close to 1.

In this paper, we present extensive self-consistent results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of diffusion and thermotransport properties of Ni–Al liquid alloys. We develop a new formalism that allows easy connection between results of the MD simulations and the real experiments. In addition, this formalism can be extended to the case of ternary and higher component liquid alloys. We focus on the temperature and composition dependence of the self-diffusion coefficients, interdiffusion coefficients, thermodynamic factor, Manning factor and the reduced heat of transport. The two latter quantities both represent measures of the off-diagonal Onsager phenomenological coefficients. The Manning factor and the reduced heat of transport can be related to experimentally obtainable quantities provided the thermodynamic factor is available. The simulation results for the reduced heat of transport show that for all compositions, in the presence of a temperature gradient, Ni tends to migrate to the cold end. This is in agreement with an available experimental study for a Ni_21.5Al_78.5 melt (only qualitative result is available so far).

Recently developed method of atomistic modelling (SKMF) is applied to order-disorder transitions in FCC alloys and to tracer diffusion in the ordered L1₂ structure. Results correlate with Kinetic Mote-Carlo modelling. Difference of diffusion activation energies of two species is found. Activation energy of ordering is close to one of minority component diffusion.