Experimental investigations and thermodynamic assessment of the Al–Er–Sc system

Abstract

The thermodynamic evaluation of the Er–Sc binary system was performed using the Calphad method, computing thermodynamic parameters for the Liquid phase, Hcp phase, and Bcc phase. The calculated results align well with existing experimental phase diagrams. Furthermore, by employing electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction testing, the phase equilibria for the Al–Er-Sc ternary system at 600 °C were determined. Experimental findings indicated that both Al–Er and Al–Sc binary systems exhibit some solubility for the third component when extended to the ternary system. Leveraging thermodynamic parameters from the literature for Al–Er and Al–Sc binary system and those calculated for the Er–Sc binary system in this work, a comprehensive thermodynamic evaluation of the Al–Er-Sc ternary system is carried out. The computed results exhibit good agreement with the experimental data, providing consistent and reasonable thermodynamic parameters for the isothermal and vertical sections.