A new method was introduced to achieve directional growth of Sn crystals. Microstructures in liquid(Pb)/liquid(Sn) diffusion couples were investigated under various static magnetic fields. Results show that the β-Sn crystals mainly reveal an irregular dendritic morphology without or with a relatively low static magnetic field(B0.3 T). When the magnetic field is increased to 0.5 T, the β-Sn dendrites close to the final stage of growth begin to show some directional character. With a further increase in the magnetic field to a higher level(0.8–5 T), the β-Sn dendrites have an enhanced directional growth character, but the dendrites show a certain deflection. As the magnetic field is increased to 12 T, the directional growth of the β-Sn dendrites in the center of the couple is severely destroyed. The mechanism of the directional growth of the β-Sn crystals and the deflection of the β-Sn crystals with the application of static magnetic field was tentatively discussed.
Lei LiBo XuWei-Ping TongHui ZhangChun-Yan BanLi-Zi HeZhi-Hao ZhaoYu-Bo ZuoQing-Feng ZhuJian-Zhong Cui
