Study of the iron atom clustering in mechanically alloyed Al-rich Fe-Al mixture

Abstract

Structural changes in the Fe-Al system modified by high-energy ball milling were studied using Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Pure Fe and Al powders were mixed in compositions with 0.5, 1.5, and 5 at.% Fe and milled for various times using the Fritsch Pulverisette planetary mill. The formation of iron clusters was observed when the percentage of paramagnetic iron was higher than 0.5 at.%. It was found that the arrangement of Fe atoms in iron clusters is similar to that observed in FeAl_n (n≥2) intermetallic compounds.