Electron Diffraction of ThMn12/Th2Zn17-Type Structures in the Nd-Fe-Ti System

Abstract

AbstractNd:11Fe:Ti alloys prepared by arc melting followed by splat quenching and annealing have been investigated by electron microscopy. The as-cast microstructure evidenced an α-Fe(Ti) → NdFe11Ti → Nd2(Fe,Ti)17 solidification sequence compatible with a cascade of peritectic reactions. The Nd2(Fe,Ti)17 phase was not detected in the microstructure of the splat-quenched materials, but after annealing the ternary compound grains consisted of a mixture of ThMn12-type and Th2Zn17-type structures exhibiting a consistent (020)1:12//(003)2:17 and [100]1:12//[110]2:17, orientation relation, with the invariant plane sitting at (022)1:12//(333)2:17. A series of 3D microdiffraction experiments carried out on grains presenting a random distribution of planar defects has been used to map the reciprocal space of the intergrown phases.