The effect of crystallographic orientation of α-Al₂O₃ on the wetting behavior and adhesion characteristics of aluminum droplets

Abstract

To solve the problem of adhesion of aluminum fluid to the inner wall of the vacuum ladle in the aluminum electrolysis industry, molecular dynamics simulation is performed to research the wetting behavior of Al droplets on the surfaces of the α-Al2O3 substrates C (0001), M (1-100), and R (1-102) at 1073 K. Meanwhile, the adhesion characteristics of the Al droplet are evaluated by the potential of the mean force (PMF) for the separation of the Al droplets from different surfaces of the α-Al2O3 substrate. The results show that the wetting behavior of Al droplets on the α-Al2O3 substrate is influenced by the different crystallographic orientations. The diffusion of Al droplets in the x-o-y plane of the substrate exhibits isotropic. The PMF and the interfacial potential energy reveal that the magnitude of the adhesion work in the solid-liquid separation of Al droplets from α-Al2O3 substrates follows the order C (0001) > R (1-100) > M (1-102). These findings characterize the wetting properties and adhesion behavior of Al droplets on an atomic scale and provide a theoretical basis for the selection of materials for the inner wall of the vacuum ladle.