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arXiv · 2607.06685

Origin of the reaction temperature in solid-state materials synthesis

Shibo Tan·Gabrielle E. Kamm·Alex Stangel·Paul Chao·Alexander Mensah·Varun Srinivas Venkatesh·Eymana Maria·Nishkarsh Agarwal·Woohyeon Baek·John Ferrari·Katsuyo Thornton·Ashwin Shahani·Robert Hovden·Karena W. Chapman·Wenhao Sun
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Abstract

Temperature plays a crucial role in solid-state materials synthesis, but there is currently no mechanistic theory to explain or predict which temperature is best to conduct a solid-state reaction. Reactions between powder precursors are conventionally assumed to be slow diffusion-limited processes; however, recent in situ experiments show that solid-state reactions can complete in minutes above a critical onset temperature. Here, we present evidence that a transient liquid phase forms above the metastable eutectic temperature, and that this non-equilibrium liquid serves as a fast diffusion medium to intermix precursors and initiate a solid-state reaction. This thermodynamic principle is agnostic to the structure or chemistry of the reactants, and can be applied towards the synthesis and manufacturing of a wide range of complex materials.

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Shibo Tan, Gabrielle E. Kamm, Alex Stangel, Paul Chao, Alexander Mensah, Varun Srinivas Venkatesh, Eymana Maria, Nishkarsh Agarwal, Woohyeon Baek, John Ferrari, Katsuyo Thornton, Ashwin Shahani, Robert Hovden, Karena W. Chapman, Wenhao Sun. 2026-07-07. Origin of the reaction temperature in solid-state materials synthesis. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.06685

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