Investigation of mechanical alloying of Ti–Al compounds using perturbed γγ-angular correlation spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry

Abstract

Ti0.50Al0.50 and Ti0.75Al0.25 compounds were mechanically alloyed by ball milling of elemental Ti and Al powders. Radioactive 111In atoms incorporated into these compounds were used to investigate the different locally ordered crystalline structures by perturbed γγ-angular correlation spectroscopy (PAC). The formation of the intermetallic compounds γ–TiAl and α2–Ti3Al was observed on an atomic scale and occurred as a consequence of the heat treatment of mechanically alloyed Ti0.50Al0.50 and Ti0.75Al0.25, respectively. Due to the sensitivity of PAC to local order on an atomic scale, information about formation conditions and thermal stability of a new metastable phase with an ordered tetragonal crystal structure is presented for Ti0.50Al0.50 samples. In addition, the formation of the ordered phase Ti2AlN was observed, indicating the incorporation of N during the milling process. The PAC investigations were complemented by x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements.