Microstructure Evolution During Mechanical Alloying of Face Centered Cubic Ti3Si Nanoparticles

Abstract

Face centered cubic Ti3Si nanoparticles were synthesized by mechanical alloying process and the structural and compositional evolutions during the mechanical alloying process were investigated by X-ray diffraction and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. The results showed that the lattice parameter ratio c/a and the unit cell volume of Ti(Si) were found to decrease with increasing milling time, indicating that the shrinkage of Ti lattice was caused by diffusion of Si atoms into Ti. After milling 51h, amorphous compounds were obtained by alloying Ti and Si powders, and the following mechanical alloying process crystallized the amorphous alloy to crystalline Ti3Si nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were predominantly crystalline with traces of the remnant amorphous phase.