2012 Volume 33 Issue 12 Pages 687-693
The review reported the microgravity experiments performed using space shuttle, drop tower and Chinese recovery satellite. In addition, the experimental plan for microgravity experiment in the International space station was introduced. From the space shuttle experiment, it was found that the space-grown sample with free melt surface was almost spherical and Marangoni convection enhanced the melt mixing. Whereas the melt mixing without free melt surface was controlled by diffusion. Formation of spherical projections on the surface of InGaSb was in-situ observed using a high speed CCD camera in the drop experiment. Microgravity studies on the dissolution and crystallization of InxGa1-xSb was carried out having the sandwich combination of GaSb(111)A/InSb/GaSb(111)B using the Chinese recoverable satellite. It was demonstrated clearly that the shape of the solid/liquid interface and composition profiles in the solution was significantly affected by gravity.
