Solid/liquid interfacial energy and wetting of Cu at Co surfaces and grain boundaries

The contact angle of liquid Cu on monocrystalline and polycrystalline Co surfaces is found to be close to zero, and some of the grain boundaries of the Co polycrystal are completely wetted by liquid Cu. The consistency of these results is discussed in terms of interfacial, grain boundary and surface energies in the Co-Cu system. The Co solid/Cu liquid interfacial energy is found to be equal to or smaller than 390 mJ m(-2) at 1383 K. (C) 2008 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.