Experimental study of the interfacial adhesion of the laser-assisted Sn/Pb-Al2O3 system

A reaction chamber was designed and built for the performance of contact angle measurements for wettability assessment. The contact angle of a molten Sn-Pb alloy on alumina substrate was measured using the Sessile Droplets methods under high vacuum for a substrate treated with a CO2 laser and a second one without treatment. These measurements are intended for a better knowledge of the physico-chemical behavior of the wetting properties of the(Sn/Pb - Al2O3) metal-ceramics system. The interaction of the laser radiation with the Sn/Pb - Al2O3 substrate produced significant changes in the wettability behavior. The system undergoes a clear change from a nonwetting to a partial wetting behavior as determined by contact angle values. The results suggest that the dominant mechanism for wettabilty response is of mechanical nature (micro roughening) for the mechanical anchoring of the droplet to the substrate.