Interfacial energies in oxide/liquid metal systems with limited solubility

Using thermodynamic data, the solubility of polycrystalline ceramic oxides in liquid metals has been calculated. The results showed that limited solubility of oxygen does not influence wetting. Furthermore, the combination of data of interfacial energies and contact angles in non-wetting and non-reactive ceramic oxide/liquid metal systems leads to an empirical relationship, which correlates at a given temperature the surface energy of the oxides with the contact angle and the surface energy of the liquid metal. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data.