Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of an intermetallic CoSn phase

Abstract Herein, the crystallization kinetics of the intermetallic CoSn phase, nucleated and grown in the microstructure of a binary CoSn alloy, have been reported. Differential scanning calorimetry traces under non-isothermal conditions were obtained and used to extract the activation energy ( E α ) for the crystallization of the CoSn phase at various heating rates. The obtained values of E α were validated by the application of several isoconversion methods. The minimum value of E α was 1000 kJ mol−1, which occurred at 853 K. The observed behavior of E α showed a strong temperature dependence, wherein it decreased with increasing temperature. This suggests that the rate constant for the crystallization of the CoSn phase is determined by the rates of two processes—nucleation and diffusion. The precise description of the crystallization process for the CoSn phase reveal that the reaction mechanism of this phase is following the first-order reaction.