The formation of intermetallic compounds during interdiffusion of Mg–Al/Mg–Ce diffusion couples

Abstract The formation of Al–Ce intermetallic compounds (IMCs) during interdiffusion of Mg–Al/Mg–Ce diffusion couples prepared by solid–liquid contact method was investigated at 623 K, 648 K and 673 K for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, respectively. During the whole diffusion process, Al was the dominant diffusing species, and it substituted for Mg of the Mg–Ce substrate. Five Al–Ce IMCs of Al 4 Ce, Al 11 Ce 3 , Al 3 Ce, Al 2 Ce and AlCe were formed via the reaction of Al and Ce. The formation of Al 4 Ce as the first kind of IMC was rationalized on the basis of an effective Gibbs free energy model. The activation energy for the growth of the total diffusion reaction layer was 36.6 kJ/mol.