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Prosopis seeds were grown under controlled environment in solution of aluminum and chromium at different concentration alone as well as combined together. The effect of these metals was studied on seed germination, root length, shoot length, seedling length and dry biomass. Aluminum and chromium alone, and combined together showed no effects on germination and dry biomass. Chromium alone was found toxic to root, shoot and seedling length. However, application of different concentrations of aluminum increased the root, shoot and seedling growth. It may be concluded that aluminum is not as toxic as chromium, and their combined treatment showed the intermediate effect by ameliorating the impact of one another.

Dynamic hot-stage microscopy and sessile drop experiments have identified three stages in the spreading of Ag-28 wt. % Cu liquid on the surface of high-purity Ni foil: (I) nonreactive flow, (II) secondary spreading, and (III) breakout flow. The first stage is deGennes-type spreading driven by capillary forces and resisted by viscous drag. A (Cu, Ni) reaction layer forms quickly at temperature along the liquid-solid interface. Stage I ends when the liquid braze attains a quasistatic contact angle on the reacted surface. Stage II spreading involves a complex advance of a thin liquid sheet outward from the triple line as a result of differences in wetting between Ni grain surfaces and grain boundaries. The advancing liquid meniscus is distorted as the liquid moves ahead along the better wetted grain boundary regions and is held back (pinned) on those surfaces that are poorly wet, resulting in a stick-slip motion of the triple line. The change in contact area with time is linear during this stage, and the rate of spreading is independent of temperature in the range of 780-870 ± C. Although the diffusion of Cu into Ni grain boundaries likely drives the capillary flow, it is not the controlling process since an activation energy is not observed. The final stage of spreading, breakout flow, involves the flooding of the liquid braze over previously wetted surfaces due to a change in the balance of interfacial energies. Spreading ends during stage II or III either by isothermal solidification which stems from interdiffusion between the braze filler and the substrate or by curtailment of the liquid supply when it pulls back on the (Cu, Ni) reaction layer. Hold time, peak temperature, and heating rate all have an effect on both the terminal area of spread and the spreading kinetics of braze flow on polycrystalline Ni. The heating rate effect has not been emphasized in previously published literature for soldering and brazing and, if overlooked could easily impair one's ability to apply test results to other studies or practical situations. Roughness-enhanced spreading was not observed with the Ni foil surfaces used in this study. There was, however, a localized effect on the shape of the triple line that did not affect spreading kinetics or terminal area of spread in a systematic fashion.

The wetting and spreading of molten aluminum on TiB 2 substrates between the aluminum melting point and 1033 K (760°C) was investigated in the presence of different types of fluxes. The wetting and spreading behavior is observed to depend on the flux, its melting point, its chemistry, and its ability to dissolve alumina. When the flux melting point is higher than the melting point of aluminum, the molten aluminum takes on an initial spherical shape as a result of the thin alumina layer on its surface. After the flux is melted, it dissolves the alumina layer on the liquid aluminum surface causing the aluminum to wet and spread on the substrate. When the flux melts before the aluminum, the alumina layer on the solid aluminum surface is dissolved into the flux. In this case, the aluminum surface in contact with the molten flux is alumina layer free. Thus, the aluminum does not take a spherical shape after melting; it rapidly melts, wets, and spreads on the substrate. The use of a flux allows the wetting behavior of aluminum on TiB 2 to be observed at lower temperatures than previously reported.