Kinetics of the solid-state reaction for the formation of amorphous ZrCo studied by electrical conductance measurements

Thin-film reactions of Co with Zr have been studied in the temperature range between 473 and 523 K by electrical conductance measurements and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (CS-TEM). The reduction of the electrical conductance during the solid state reaction is explained by formation and growth of an amorphous phase at every Zr/Co interface. For long reaction times the growth of the layer thickness follows a shifted $\sqrt t$ law. For short reaction times the measurements show a linear time law, which is expected for an interface limited reaction.