ENERGY AND STRUCTURE OF INTERPHASE BOUNDARIES

The energy of interphase boundaries between noble metals (Au, Cu) and various ionic crystals (LiF, NaCl, KCl, MgO, Al2O3, mica) was investigated by means of the plate/sphere method. The results obtained suggest that the coincidence model is not applicable to describe the structure of interphase boundaries of low energy between noble metals and ionic crystals. The atomic structure of the low energy boundaries observed may be understood in terms of the proposed "lock-in model". Moreover the energy of interphase boundaries seems to be strongly dependant on the temperature. Measurements of the energy of Cu/MgO and Au/Al2O3 interphase boundaries at 550°C and 950°C indicate the existence of a transition from an energetically anisotropic boundary structure into an isotropic one