Flash-induced spreading of metals on zirconia

Gold islands grown on yttria stabilized zirconia disperse into very small islands when the ceramic substrate is activated by current in a flash experiment. It is postulated that the gold beads spread into a nanometer thick continuous metal layer, which fragments into islands on a very fine scale when the field is switched off and the substrate returns to its original state. The experiments articulate the reach of flash experiments into the surface science regime where the metal merely reacts with the “electronic structure” of the ceramic surface, without the current flowing through the metal. © 2019 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved