Equilibrium shape of nickel crystal

Abstract

The equilibrium shape of pure nickel and the effect of carbon on changes in the equilibrium shape at 1200 degrees C were investigated. A statistical observation on the size-dependent, time-dependent and carbon-induced morphological evolution of crystallites suggested that the equilibrium crystal shape (ECS) of pure nickel is a polyhedron consisting of {111}, {100}, {110} and {210} surfaces. However, crystals with an extensive proportion of {320} surfaces were also frequently observed. The appearance of {320} surfaces was interpreted as kinetically stabilized metastable surfaces, which survived during the thermal equilibrating process, possibly due to a high nucleation energy barrier for their removal. On the other hand, the ECS of pure nickel was observed to change dramatically into a spherical shape with facets of {111}, {100}, {110} and {210} without exception under a carburized atmosphere, which indicates that carbon not only facilitates surface diffusion by which energetically more stable surfaces can be easily developed but also decreases the surface energy anisotropy. Together with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies, it was proposed that the carbon-induced changes in the ECS are possibly due to a solid solution effect, which could lead to a reduction in the binding energy among atoms in the bulk as well as on the surfaces.