The photo is sourced from rscf.ru
Electromagnetic levitation is the method of containerless processing of liquid metals, which avoids the influence of the crucible walls on the process. The sample placed in a levitation (i.e. overcoming gravity) chamber melts under weightless conditions. Since substances melted in weightlessness solidify more uniformly, it is possible to obtain the samples with a uniform structure. As a result, these alloys are distinguished by strength and high thermal and electrical conductivity.
The authors of the research tested these benefits of levitation during processing the nickel-aluminum alloy and the samples of glassformer – glass-forming zirconium-based alloys used in semiconductors of mobile phones, tablets and household appliances. The experiment showed that electromagnetic levitation ensured the homogeneity of alloy microstructure, and thereby, increased their electrically conductive properties.
“When doing the research, we analysed in detail various coil geometries. This allowed for a wider range of temperature control with stable levitation of the sample. We also specifically considered the conditions of crystallisation of samples in EML, indicating the predominant role of transfer processes in the formation of the microstructure of the materials under research, which is especially important because the crystallographic structure predetermines a lot of physical properties of metal alloys,” the Russian Science Foundation quotes Lyubov Toropova, senior researcher at the Ural Federal University.
