ATOM AND ION

MOVEMENTS IN MATERIALS

Group V
 APPLICATIONS OF
DIFFUSION

Diffusion refers to the net flux of any species,

such as ions, atoms, electrons, holes, and
molecules.

The magnitude of the flux depends upon the

concentration gradient and temperature.
C A R BU R I Z AT I O N F O R S U R FAC E
HARDENING OF STEELS

Increase surface hardness

Carbon/Graphite is diffused into components

Nitriding use of nitrogen instead of carbon

 DOPANT DIFFUSION FOR
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

P-type trivalent elements

e.g. Boron, Aluminum, Indium, Gallium

N-type pentavalent elements

e.g. Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony, Bismuth
CONDUCTIVE CERAMICS

Ceramics are good insulators but with diffusion

of ions, electrons, or holes may serve as
conductive material for batteries.

Also called electroceramics

 CREATION OF PLASTIC
BEVERAGE BOTTLES

Limiting diffusion of Carbon dioxide from soda

Use of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

OXIDATION OF ALUMINUM

In reality, aluminum oxidizes more easily than iron

however, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) forms a very
protective but thin coating on the aluminums surface
preventing further diffusion of oxygen and hindering
further oxidation of the underlying aluminum.
COATINGS AND THIN FILMS

Often used to limit diffusion of water

THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS
(TBC) FOR TURBINE BLADES

Aircraft engine some of the nickel superalloy-

based turbine blades are coated with ceramic oxides.

Increases longevity of materials(lifetime and

durability)
 OPTICAL FIBERS AND
M I C RO E L E C T RO N I C C O M P O N E N T S

Optical fibers made from silica (SiO2) are coated

with polymeric materials to prevent diffusion of
water molecules. This, in turn, improves the optical
and mechanical properties of the fibers.
MECHANISMS FOR DIFFUSION

In materials containing vacancies, atoms move or

jump from one lattice position to another. This
process, known as self-diffusion, can be detected
by using radioactive tracers.
 INTERDIFFUSION

Diffusion of unlike atoms in materials also occur. Consider

a nickel sheet bonded to a copper sheet. At high temperatures,
nickel atoms gradually diffuse into the copper, and copper
atoms migrate into the nickel. Again, the nickel and copper
atoms eventually are uniformly distributed. Diffusion of
different atoms in different directions is known as
interdiffusion.
Vacancy Diffusion - In self-diffusion and
diffusion involving substitutional atoms, an atom
leaves its lattice site to fill a nearby vacancy (thus
creating a new vacancy at the original lattice site)

Interstitial Diffusion - When a small interstitial

atom or ion is present in the crystal structure, the
atom or ion moves from one interstitial site to
another.
ACTIVATION ENERGY FOR
DIFFUSION