Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Oxidation Layer Formation On Aluminum Substrates With Surface Defects Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Emmanuel Olugbade, Hiep Pham, Yuchu He, Haicheng Zhou, Chulsoon Hwang, Jonghyun Park

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aluminum Oxide Layer Affects the Integrity of Electrical Contact and Can Contribute Adversely to Passive Intermodulation (PIM) Behavior in Radio Frequency (RF) Devices, necessitating a Need for Understanding its Formation Mechanism and Realistic Estimation of its Thickness. using ReaxFF Molecular Dynamics Simulation Technique, This Study Investigated the Impact of Surface Defects on Aluminum Oxide Layer Formation. Results Reveal that Crystallographic Orientation Did Not Affect the Kinetics of Oxidation Process of Aluminum. However, the Reaction Kinetics Increased Significantly with Surface Inhomogeneities Such as Cracks, Scratches, and Grain Boundaries. a Non-Uniform Oxide Layer with Thickness Variation in the Range of 72-77% Was …