Abstract
The functional materials of Si-Ge alloy and B-FeSi2 were prepared by using the combination of the short-duration microgravity, such as drop tower and drop tube, and rapid solidification. When the sample was melted on the ground, the melt seemed to be uniform because of strong thermal convection. The sample solidified in microgravity was uniform because of rapid solidification in maintaining uniformity of the melt. In contrast, the melt solidified on the ground seemed to segregate due to argon gas pressure because of the large difference of specific gravity of the constituent elements. This heterogeneous microstructure and composition of the sample solidified on the ground was caused by a heterogeneous melt. The sintered sample with high performance and thin film with single phase were prepared by using these uniform samples.
