Point Defects and Diffusion in Ni3Ga

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe properties of intrinsic point defects and the self-diffusion behaviour of the constituent elements in Ni3Ga have been studied by positron annihilation, tracer diffusion and interdiffusion experiments. Thermal vacancies have been detected by positron lifetime measurements for specimens quenched from high temperatures. The vacancy formation energy is in the range between 1.7 and 1.8 eV, and is not dependent strongly on the composition. The tracer diffusion coefficients of Ni and Ga are of the same order of magnitude, and the interdiffusion coefficient is about 10 times larger than the diffusion coefficient of Ni. The diffusion in Ni3Ga has been found to satisfy the Darken-Manning equation, as expected from the model of the self-diffusion in this type of materials, where both the species of atoms are assumed to migrate primarily in the sub-lattice of the major element via the ordinary vacancy mechanism.