Structural characterization and Mössbauer studies of nanocrystalline Fe₆₀Ni₂₀Cr₁₀B₁₀ alloy prepared by high energy ball milling

Nanostructured Fe(Ni,Cr) and NiFe solid state powders were elaborated from elemental powders of Fe, Ni, Cr and B using planetary high-energy ball mill. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine the morphology of the powdered samples as a function of milling time. The transformations occurring in the material during milling were studied at the atomic scale with the use of X-ray diffraction and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrometry. The thermal behavior of the milled powders was examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results, as well as dissimilarity between calorimetric curves of the powders after 10 and 50 h of milling, indicated the formation of a nanostructured Fe(Ni,Cr) and NiFe solid solutions.