Thermodynamic model for solid-state amorphization in binary systems at interfaces and grain boundaries

A thermodynamic model for solid-state amorphization (SSA) at interfaces and grain boundaries in binary systems has been proposed. It has been demonstrated that the energy of a crystalline-amorphous interface is, in general, lower than the energy of a crystalline-crystalline interface. This effect provides the driving force for SSA, as long as the amorphous product layer is not too thick. The model has been applied to several binary crystalline-crystalline systems and binary crystalline-amorphous systems to predict whether or not interface and/or grain boundary amorphization can occur and to calculate the maximum thickness of the amorphous layer. The results obtained agree with experimental data reported in the literature.