Experimental Determination and Thermodynamic Modeling of the Sn-Rich Corner of the Ternary Ni-Pd-Sn Phase Diagram at 250°C

The Sn-rich portion of the phase diagram for the Ni-Pd-Sn ternary system was preliminarily obtained by interpolation of the three constituent binary systems using the Muggianu method. Based on this proposition, 23 Ni-Pd-Sn alloys were prepared and annealed at 250°C. The annealed alloys were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, electron backscatter diffraction, and x-ray diffraction. All the binaries adjacent to the Sn-rich corner (i.e., PdSn₄, PdSn₃, PdSn₂, and Ni₃Sn₄) were found to have remarkable ternary solubility. The experimental results presented herein, together with a thermodynamic interpolation of the ternary system based on the results from the binary systems, were used to calculate the ternary phase diagram using the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) method. A substitution model was used to describe the Gibbs free energies of the liquid and solid solution phases, and a sublattice model was used to describe intermetallic compounds. A consistent set of thermodynamic parameters was obtained, ultimately leading to a better fit between the calculated results and the experimental data for this system.