Wettability of AlSi5Mg on Spodumene

The development of new filters for the aluminum industry requires investigations on the wettability of aluminum and its alloys on novel filter materials. The requested filter effects require not only an adequate wetting but also information about the interaction between the filter material and the metal. In the present work the wettability of an AlSi5Mg alloy on spodumene (LiAl[Si2O6]) containing substrates is investigated using the sessile drop technique. These measurements were carried out at 1223 K (950 °C) under vacuum. The spodumene-based substrates showed a completely different wetting behavior compared with an alumina substrate. The contact angel reduced more quickly and leveled out at a lower value (75 ± 2 deg) than in case of a pure alumina substrate (90 ± 1 deg). The reason for this behavior is a reaction between the LiAl(Si2O6) and the alloy droplet which supported deoxidation and formed a silica-rich reaction layer at the droplet/substrate interface.