No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The transformation of transition aluminas (i.e. θ-A12O3) to α-A12O3 results in an interconnected, porous microstructure that is commonly described as ‘wormy’ or‘vermicular’. The effect of heat generated during the exothermic transformation at the θ-Al2O3/α-Al2O3 interface on the development of the vermicular α-A12O3 morphology was analyzed in boehmite-derived thin films. The vermicular structure may arise in an analogous manner to the thermal dendrites formed in metals during solidification. However, the analysis shows that heat generation and transfer at the interface does not play a significant role in the development of α-A12O3 dendrites.