Nanojoining of TiAl with Ni-Al Reactive Multilayer Nanofoils: A Molecular Dynamics Study

The Ni-Al reactive multilayer nanofoils (RMNFs) are good candidates for joining applications because they can deliver a significant amount of energy locally and in a very short time after the initiation of the reaction. We investigated, at the nanoscale, how a joining process unfolds when this type of nanofoil is used to bond TiAl intermetallic, employing molecular dynamics simulations. The self-sustained exothermic nature of the reaction was demonstrated, and the various elemental mechanisms were elucidated. The present study offers a detailed analysis of the microstructure of the bonded region. The joining between the nanofoil and the substrate relied on the formation of Ti-Al-Ni intermetallic compounds.