Nanotwin-assisted nitridation in FeNi nanopowders for synthesis of rare-earth-free magnets

L10-ordered FeNi alloy (tetrataenite), a promising candidate for rare-earth-free and low-cost permanent magnet applications, is attracting increasing attention from academic and industrial communities. Highly ordered single-phase L10-FeNi is difficult to synthesis efficiently because of its low chemical order-disorder transition temperature (200–320 ℃). A non-equilibrium synthetic route utilizing a nitrogen topotactic reaction has been considered a valid approach, although the phase transformation mechanism is currently unknown. Herein, we investigated the basis of this reaction, namely the formation mechanism of the tetragonal FeNiN precursor phase during the nitridation of FeNi nanopowders. Detailed microstructure analysis revealed that the FeNiN precursor phase could preferentially nucleated at the nanotwinned region during nitridation and subsequently grew following a massive transformation, with high-index irrational orientation relationships and ledgewise growth motion detected at the migrating phase interface. This is the first report of a massive phase transformation detected in an Fe-Ni-N system and provides new insights into the phase transformation during the nitriding process. This work is expected to promote the synthetic optimization of fully ordered FeNi alloys for various magnetic applications.

Fe, Ni, Co, and Cu in FeNi alloys of H Chondrites

This publication presents the results of chemical analyses of 173 FeNi alloy grains from four selected H ordinary chondrites: Thuathe, Chergach, Gao-Guenie and NWA 4555. Based on performed analyses and calculations, the following average chemical composition of the FeNi alloy was determined [in wt.%]: Fe - 90.75%; Ni - 8.80%; Co - 0.35%; Cu - 0.03%. The content of Cu and Co depends on the nickel content in the FeNi alloy. The low-nickel alloy represented by kamacite is enriched in cobalt (average content 0.38%) and depleted in copper (0.01%), while the high-nickel alloy, represented mainly by taenite, is characterized by a low content of cobalt (0.08%), and a significant enrichment in copper (0.16%). Based on these data, it is possible to approximate the resources of these metals in the parent bodies of these chondrites. For example, for the asteroid (143624) 2003 HMi6, which is classified as a Near Earth Object (NEO), such resources are [in Mg]: Fe - 2.4 · 109, Ni - 2.3 · 108, Co-9.2 · 106, Cu-7.9 · 105.

Structure-induced features of transport processes in an electroconsolidated FeNi composite

The structure and processes of mass, charge and heat transfer are investigated in an equiatomic Fe–Ni composite fabricated by electroconsolidation using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technology. The system contains regions of almost pure Fe and Ni, separated by areas with variable concentration of components, formed in consequence of the interdiffusion in the electroconsolidation process. The interdiffusion coefficient of the Fe–Ni system has been revealed to be significantly higher than that of an alloy of a similar composition at the same temperature, which is likely the result of the employed SPS technology and the enhanced diffusion along the grain boundaries. The concentration dependence of the interdiffusion coefficient passes through a maximum at a Ni concentration of [Formula: see text] at.%. The electrical and thermal conductivity of the studied system is significantly higher than that of an alloy of the same composition. The temperature dependence of the resistivity of the sample in the range 5–300 K is due to the scattering of electrons by defects and phonons, and the scattering of electrons by phonons fits well to the Bloch–Grüneisen–Wilson relation. The boundaries of the conductivity of the investigated composite correspond to the Hashin–Shtrikman boundaries for a three-phase system, if Fe, Ni and the FeNi alloy are selected as phases.