Kinetic study of a solid-state reaction in Ag/Al multilayer thin films by in situ electron diffraction and simultaneous thermal analysis

• Solid-state reaction in Ag/Al thin films has been investigated. • Phase sequence has been determined: Ag+Al→(Ag)+(Al)→ (Ag)+δ-Ag 2 Al→µ-Ag 3 Al. • Autocatalytic nature of intermetallic compound formation has been established. • Kinetic parameters of the µ-Ag 3 Al formation have been determined for the first time. A solid-state reaction process in Ag/Al multilayer thin films has been investigated by the methods of in situ electron diffraction, simultaneous thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction with the aim of studying the phase formation kinetics of intermetallic compounds. The sequence of the phase transformations in the solid-state reaction has been established: Ag+Al→(Ag)+(Al)→(Ag)+δ-Ag 2 Al→μ-Ag 3 Al. The process of the solid-state interaction has been shown to consist of two steps; each of them is described by a kinetic model of the n th order reactions with autocatalysis. The kinetic parameters of the autocatalytic process of the phase formation for δ-Ag 2 Al and µ-Ag 3 Al, have been determined, in particular, their apparent activation energy: 126 kJ/mol and 106 kJ/mol, respectively.