Effect of local composition-dependent interfacial anisotropy on dendritic growth orientation.

Dendrites represent the complicated pattern formation in condensed matter physics and microstructures in materials science. Previous work shows that a dendrite can change its orientation due to a change in the anisotropy of solid-liquid interfacial energy. The anisotropy change is often assumed by the increase in the nominal composition. Here, we consider the case where the interfacial anisotropy changes with local composition at the interface rather than the nominal composition and examine its effect on dendritic growth morphology using phase-field simulations. The results are then discussed with respect to 〈110〉 side-arms formation in Al-Mg alloys and physical insights are provided.