Suppressed kinetics of short range ordering at low temperatures

Abstract

The kinetics of short range ordering in a binary alloy were studied by Monte Carlo simulation. Unlike the kinetics of ordering by the direct interchange of atoms, at low temperatures there is a marked suppression of the kinetics of ordering when ordering occurs by the vacancy mechanism. Large activation energies are associated with this suppression of kinetics. These activation energies suggest that certain heterogeneities in the atomic arrangements on the lattice behave as traps which the vacancy cannot easily escape at low temperatures. Such traps were observed during simulations of the ordering process.