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Multiplicity and Separability of the Mechanisms of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in the Ga–In–Al System

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Abstract

The study of liquid metal embrittlement has historically been plagued by apparently anomalous behavior that defies mechanistic understanding. Recently, the authors hypothesized that many seemingly contradictory results could be explained by considering liquid metal embrittlement as multiple mechanisms rather than as a monolith. In this work, that hypothesis was tested by exposing 5052 aluminum plate to Ga and a eutectic gallium–indium (eGaIn) alloy in environments with varied humidity. The results were captured via timelapse photography and optical microscopy and the resultant grain boundary penetration rates were measured. Two distinct liquid metal embrittlement mechanisms, liquid metal corrosion and grain boundary wetting, were observed. These mechanisms interacted constructively, but were separable via control of the humidity during exposure.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation Award Number DMR-2011166. The authors acknowledge the use of the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center (MAIC) and Nanoscale Research Facility (NRF) at the University of Florida.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    J. E. Norkett, B. T. Anthony & V. M. Miller

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  1. J. E. Norkett
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Norkett, J.E., Anthony, B.T. & Miller, V.M. Multiplicity and Separability of the Mechanisms of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in the Ga–In–Al System. Metall Mater Trans A 54, 2791–2802 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-023-07056-2

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