In ancient bronze ingots Cu3As was observed beside other impurities like Sb. Moreover, the Cu-As bronzes were studied concerning the decrease in As during melting respectively remelting. To verify the microstructure and hardness of the eutectic and Cu3As phase appropriate mixtures were produced by melting pure Cu and As. The eutectic point in the Cu-As system is at 685 °C and 20.8 wt. % As and the Cu3As phase with 29.56 wt. % As melts at 827 °C. In the sample´s core the microstructure is a homogeneous eutectic, but near the surface it becomes hypoeutectic, i.e. an As loss took place. The lamella thickness of the eutectic was in the range of about 1 µm. The sample with a Cu3As composition showed a proeutectic microstructure with mainly Cu3As and a small amount of eutectic. In the large Cu3As crystals twin lamellae were observed. Additionally, by Vickers indents new twins were introduced. The microhardness of the Cu-As solid solution is 78 HV0.025, of the eutectic 125 HV0.025 and of the Cu3As phase 158 HV0.025. On some surfaces of the Cu3As sample a Cu-rich phase was observed. We are not able to explain this phenomenon, but it is definitively no “inverse segregation”.
Synthesis and characterization of Cu3SbS4 thin films grown by co-sputtering metal precursors and subsequent sulfurization