Wetting of α-Al2O3 by Molten Al-2wt.%Cu under High Magnetic Fields

This study investigated the wetting of α-Al2O3 substrates by molten Al-2wt.%Cu under high magnetic fields (HMFs) and elucidated the mechanism through which HMFs affected wettability. All contact angles were less than 90° in the presence of an HMF, with a significant reduction of 52° at 6 T compared with the value in the absence of an HMF. Microstructural characterizations demonstrated the formation of Cu-rich layers at the Al-2wt.%Cu/α-Al2O3 interfaces together with a reduction in interfacial lattice misfit in response to HMFs. These factors produced a significant decrease in the liquid-solid interfacial energy, ultimately resulting in a substantial improvement in wettability.