An investigation on the wetting of polycrystalline alumina by aluminium

In this report, sessile drop technique was employed to study the wetting of alumina by pure aluminium. Contact angle of pure aluminium on the surface of polycrystalline alumina substrate was studied in the temperature range of 750–1100 °C. Electron microscopy and EDX analysis were employed to examine the possible reactions at the melt–substrate interface. It was found that at temperatures in excess of 1050 °C molten aluminium can wet alumina. No reaction layer was detected at the Al/Al2O3 interface.