Nucleation and growth of a quasicrystalline monolayer: Bi adsorption on the five-fold surface of i-Al70Pd21Mn9

Scanning tunnelling microscopy has been used to study the formation of a Bi monolayer deposited on the five-fold surface of i-Al70Pd21Mn9. Upon deposition of low sub-monolayer coverages, the nucleation of pentagonal clusters of Bi adatoms of edge length 4.9 A is observed. The clusters have a common orientation leading to a film with five-fold symmetry. By inspection of images where both the underlying surface and the Bi atoms are resolved, the pentagonal clusters are found to nucleate on pseudo-Mackay clusters truncated such that a Mn atom lies centrally in the surface plane. The density of these sites is sufficient to form a quasiperiodic framework, and subsequent adsorption of Bi atoms ultimately leads to the formation of a quasicrystalline monolayer. The initial nucleation site is different to that proposed on the basis of recent density functional theory calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Linear thermal expansivity (1–300 K), specific heat (1–108 K), and electrical resistivity of the icosahedral quasicrystal i-Al61.4Cu25.4Fe13.2

Linear thermal expansivity (α, 1–300 K), heat capacity (Cp, 1–108 K), and electrical resistivity (ρ, 1–300 K) measurements are reported for single grain i-Al61.4Cu25.4Fe13.2 quasicrystals as a function of sample processing. While ρ(T) is sensitive to sample treatment, both Cp and α are relatively insensitive (to a few percent) except at the lowest temperatures (below 4 K), where an inverse correlation between ρ and the electronic Cp coefficient γ appears to exist. Dispersion effects (deviations from Debye-like behavior) in both Cp and the lattice Grüneisen parameter Γ are large and comparable with those for single grain i-Al71Pd21Mn08quasicrystal and its Al72Pd25Mn03 approximant [Phys. Rev. B 65, 184206 (2002)]. Since the 0-K Debye temperature [Θ0=536(2)K] is in reasonable agreement with that from 4-K elastic constants [548(8) K], a previous postulate for AlPdMn that these large dispersion effects are associated with high dispersion lattice modes in off-symmetry directions also appears to apply to i-Al-Cu-Fe. A comparison with other Cp data suggests that the major effects of sample treatment (and composition) are reflected, with a few exceptions, in the values of γ, with remarkably similar lattice contributions

Microstructural development during directional solidification of peritectic alloys

Despite the widespread commercial use of peritectic alloys (e.g., steels, brass, bronze, intermetallic compounds, Co based superalloys and A3B type superconductors), the characterization of the microstructural development during directional solidification of peritectics has historically lagged behind similar efforts directed towards other types of binary invariant reactions such as eutectic or monotectic. A wide variety of possible microstructures has been shown to form in peritectics depending upon the imposed temperature gradient, G, the solidification velocity, V, as well as the presence or absence of convection in the melt. This has important technological implications since many commercially important alloys exhibit peritectics and processing methods such as casting and welding often involve widely changing conditions. It has been the aim of this project to examine, in a systematic fashion, both experimentally and theoretically, the influence of gravitationally driven convection on segregation and microstructural development during solidification in peritectic systems under terrestrial conditions. The scientific results of the project will be used to establish ground based data in support of a meaningful microgravity flight experiment

Microstructural Development during Directional Solidification of Peritectic Alloys

A thorough understanding of the microstructures produced through solidification in peritectic systems has yet to be achieved, even though a large number of industrially and scientifically significant materials are in this class. One type of microstructure frequently observed during directional solidification consists of alternating layers of primary solid and peritectic solid oriented perpendicular to the growth direction. This layer formation is usually reported for alloy compositions within the two-phase region of the peritectic isotherm and for temperature gradient and growth rate conditions that result in a planar solid-liquid interface. Layered growth in peritectic alloys has not previously been characterized on a quantitative basis, nor has a mechanism for its formation been verified. The mechanisms that have been proposed for layer formation can be categorized as either extrinsic or intrinsic to the alloy system. The extrinsic mechanisms rely on externally induced perturbations to the system for layer formation, such as temperature oscillations, growth velocity variations, or vibrations. The intrinsic mechanisms approach layer formation as an alternative type of two phase growth that is inherent for certain peritectic systems and solidification conditions. Convective mixing of the liquid is an additional variable which can strongly influence the development and appearance of layers due to the requisite slow growth rate. The first quantitative description of layer formation is a model recently developed by Trivedi based on the intrinsic mechanism of cyclic accumulation and depiction of solute in the liquid ahead of the interface, linked to repeated nucleation events in the absence of convection. The objective of this research is to characterize the layered microstructures developed during ground-based experiments in which external influences have been minimized as much as possible and to compare these results to the current the model. Also, the differences between intrinsic and externally influenced layer formation were explored. The choice of alloy system is critical to a study of the formation of layered microstructures. The ideal system would have a well-characterized phase diagram, equal densities of both elements in the liquid state to minimize compositionally-driven convective flows, a low peritectic temperature to simplify directional solidification and the achievement of a high temperature gradient in the liquid, a broad composition range for the peritectic reaction, and a reasonable hardness at room temperature to facilitate handling and metallographic preparation. The In-Sn system was selected initially due to a very low peritectic temperature and the nearly equal densities of In and Sn in the liquid state. Since the In-rich peritectic reaction had apparently not been utilized previously for solidification research, experiments were conducted to check the phase diagram in the region of interest. The alloys in this system proved to be difficult to handle and prepare in bulk form with the equipment available, so experiments were initiated with the Sn-Cd system. Layered microstructures had been observed previously in Sn-Cd

Texture and grain morphology dependencies of saturation magnetostriction in rolled polycrystalline Fe83Ga17

Textured polycrystalline Fe-Ga alloys exhibit magnetostrictive strains of 100 ppm or greater and may function as a mechanically robust actuator/sensing material. Current efforts seek to combine the 300+ ppm magnetostrictive strain performance of [100] oriented single crystals with the mechanical properties of polycrystalline forms. One approach to combining these properties is to control the crystallographic texture through deformation processing such as rolling. To determine the relationship between saturation magnetostriction, degree of texturing, and grain morphology we compare the results of three-dimensional finite element simulations with the analytical solution for a random polycrystal and the experimental responses of rolled polycrystalline Fe83Ga17.Textured specimens were produced through rolling reductions up to 99% of an as-cast ingot and a subsequent 1100 or 590 °C anneal. The high temperature anneal produced a recrystallized grain structure having a wide variation in crystal orientation as determined by orientation imaging microscopy. This recrystallized specimen exhibited a net magnetostriction of ∼170 ppm in the rolling direction and was well correlated with the finite element model result. The low temperature annealed specimen possessed fine elongated grains having dispersed {001}〈110〉 and {111}〈211〉 textures. Net magnetostrictions of 30 and 37 ppm were measured in the rolling direction and 45° off the rolling direction, respectively. The low magnetostriction value in the 45° direction disagrees substantially with the finite element solution of 157 ppm and suggests that unknown factors are dominating the response

Real-space observation of quasicrystalline Sn monolayer formed on the fivefold surface of icosahedral AlCuFe quasicrystal

We investigate a thin Sn film grown at elevated temperatures on the fivefold surface of an icosahedral AlCuFe quasicrystal by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). At about one monolayer coverage, the deposited Sn is found to form a smooth film of height consistent with one-half of the lattice constant of the bulk Sn. Analysis based on the Fourier transform and autocorrelation function derived from high-resolution STM images reveals that Sn grows pseudomorphically and hence exhibits a quasicrystalline structure

Structural studies of Fe0.81Ga0.19 by reciprocal space mapping

Reciprocal lattice mapping has been performed on Fe0.81Ga0.19 crystals by ω–ω/2θ, Ψ–ϕ, and ω–ϕ scans. A strong elongation of the 〈001〉c peak was found along the〈110〉c direction. ω scans revealed short lateral correlation lengths ξ along 〈110〉cand strong diffuse scattering along the 〈001〉c. Multiple domains with monoclinic symmetry (angle ∼190°) were observed by Ψ–ϕ and ω–ϕ scans on the (001)c face, and were also tilted with respect to each other. The results show an average cubic structure with orthorhombic structural modulations, and two structural domain states that result in a limiting monoclinic symmetry

Orientation relationship between metallic thin films and quasicrystalline substrates.

We present experimental results on the structure of Ag thin films grown on high-symmetry surfaces of both quasicrystals and approximants. For coverages above ten monolayers, Ag form fcc nanocrystals with (111) plane parallel to the surface plane. Depending on the substrate surface symmetry, the Ag nanocrystals exist in one, two or five different orientations, rotated by a multiple of 2π/30. The orientation relationship between crystalline films and substrates appears to be determined by the following principles: high atomic density rows of the adsorbate are aligned along high atomic density rows of the substrate

Temperature dependence of the magnetostriction and magnetoelastic coupling in Fe100−xAlx (x = 14.1,16.6,21.5,26.3) and Fe50Co50

In this paper, we report magnetostriction measurements, (λ100) on Fe-rich Fe–Al alloys and Fe50Co50 as functions of temperature from 77 K to room temperature (RT). From these measurements and elastic constant (c′) measurements, the tetragonal magnetoelastic coupling constants (b1’s) were calculated. Significant differences were found between our RT measurements and earlier magnetostriction measurements for the higher Al concentration alloys (16.6%, 21.5%, 26.3% Al) and the Fe50Co50 alloy. Reminiscent of the temperature dependence of λ100 for pure Fe, magnetostriction changes with temperature are minimal for Fe–Al alloys having the disordered bcc (A2)structure (x\u3c19% Al). In contrast, the alloy possessing the ordered (D03) structure shows an anomalous decrease in magnetostriction in λ100 with decreasing temperature. For the Fe–Al alloy system, the magnetoelastic coupling constant, ∣b1∣, exhibits a peak at room temperature maximizing at 16.6% Al with a value of 12.3 MJ/m3. For Fe50Co50, ∣b1∣ was calculated to be ∼ 34 MJ/m3 at room temperature

Effect of interstitial additions on magnetostriction in Fe–Ga alloys

The additions of trace amounts of small interstitial atoms (carbon, boron, and nitrogen) to Fe–Ga (Galfenol) alloys have a small but beneficial effect on the magnetostriction of Fe–Ga alloys especially at high Ga compositions. The saturated magnetostrictions [(3/2)λ100’s] of both slow cooled and quenched single crystal Fe–Ga–C alloys with Ga contents \u3e18 at. % are about 10%–30% higher than those of the comparable binary Fe–Ga alloys. For boron and nitrogen additions, the magnetostrictions of slow cooled alloys with Ga content \u3e18 at. % were approximately 20% higher than those of the binary Fe–Ga alloys. We assume that these small atoms enter interstitially into the octahedral site as in pure α-Fe and inhibit chemical ordering, resulting in increased λ100. Thermal analysis of the Fe–Ga binary alloys and Fe–Ga–C ternary alloys indicates that the addition of C into the Fe–Ga system decreases the formation kinetics of D03 and extends the disordered region beyond the maximum for slow cooled binary samples