Fluid Inclusion Doping
Fluid inclusion doping is a trending technique used in the area of materials synthesis. It involves the use of a fluid to disperse nanoparticles or other doping medium into a melt of two or more metals. This process provides the opportunity to create new alloys with a wider range of properties than the parent metals.
The technique works by first melting two or more parent metals together. Once a molten slurry of the components is present, a small amount of a liquid dopant is introduced which serves as a liquid emulsion to distribute the nanoparticles to the melt. This dopant is selected with properties similar to the parent metals and serves to help evenly distribute the nanomaterials.
Once the nanoparticles have been sufficiently suspended in the liquid dopant, they are then added to the melt. Depending on the chemistry and size of the nanoparticles, this can cause a reaction between the original melt and the nanoparticles. It is through this reaction that new compounds and compounds structures can be formed which create novel alloys with interesting properties.
The most often used materials for fluid inclusion doping are noble metals such as gold and silver which are well suited for combining with other metals for alloying. However, other lesser used materials such as iron and aluminum can also be used to create dodoped alloys.
Due to the versatility of this technique, it has a number of advantages when compared to traditional alloying techniques. The ability to disperse nanomaterials over a large surface area resulting in a homogenous alloy is particularly attractive since traditional alloying techniques rely on mixing techniques which fail to achieve a homogenous mixture. Furthermore, the reaction between the nanoparticles distributed by this technique is typically more complex than that of traditional alloying techniques allowing for a more diverse range of properties.
The disadvantages of this technique are evident when considering the nature of the nanoparticles involved. In most cases, the nanoparticles often have a difficult time dispersing evenly throughout the melt, resulting in a number of issues with the composition of the alloy. Additionally, since many of the nanoparticles used are expensive, this technique can become quite expensive.
In conclusion, fluid inclusion doping is a trending technique which provides the opportunity to create new alloys with a wide range of properties. Despite having some drawbacks, the ability to create novel alloys which cannot be created with traditional alloying methods is a huge benefit and makes this technique an attractive option for alloyers.
