Comparative study of the heat capacity of icosahedral quasicrystals in solid and liquid states

The heat capacity of icosahedral quasicrystals Al₆₃Cu₂₅Fe₁₂ and Al₆₂Cu_25.5Fe_12.5 has been studied at high temperatures up to 1700 K, which is by almost 400 K higher than the melting point of the material. It has been shown that the melt exhibits an excess heat capacity with respect to that determined by the Dulong-Petit law and that is a direct extension of the excess heat capacity of the solid state. It has been concluded that the excess heat capacity is related, as a whole, to the short-range order in the quasicrystal structure. This circumstance allows the identification of the orbital hybridization as the most probable mechanism of formation of the pseudogap in the electronic structure of the quasicrystals.     

Magnetic susceptibility and characteristic features of the electronic structure of quasicrystalline alloys

Experiments are performed to determine the magnetic susceptibility of the icosahedral phase itself in the alloy Al₆₂Cu_25.5Fe_12.5 in the temperature range 3.9–1100 K. A new regularity is observed — the curves of the temperature dependences of the susceptibility and electrical conductivity are congruent. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 3, 206–210 (10 February 1999)     

Calorimetric investigation of electronic and lattice excitations of the icosahedral quasicrystal in the range of moderate temperatures

The precise measurements of the specific heat and the linear expansion coefficient of polygrain samples of the ordered icosahedral phase Al₆₃Cu₂₅Fe₁₂ have been performed in the temperature range 1.8–400.0 K. The deviations from the Grüneisen law, according to which the temperature dependences of the lattice specific heat at constant volume and the linear expansion coefficient are identical to each other, have been analyzed. The proofs that the specific heat of the quasicrystals contains latent electronic and lattice contributions of the Schottky type have been obtained. The revealed contributions can be thermodynamic consequences of the fractal energy spectra.     

Atomic dynamics of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-AlNiFe decagonal quasicrystal

The atomic dynamics of an Al_71.3Ni₂₄Fe_4.7 decagonal quasicrystal has been investigated using the isotopic contrast method for inelastic neutron scattering. The partial vibrational spectra of the Ni, Fe, and Al atoms and the spectrum of the thermal vibrations of the alloy have been reconstructed directly from the experimental data without any model assumptions. The cutoff energies and the positions of the main features of the spectra have been determined. It has been revealed that the average binding energy of the nickel atoms in the quasicrystal under investigation is lower than that of the iron atoms and the vibrational spectrum of the aluminum atoms is noticeably harder than the spectrum of the pure metal. The results obtained for the d-AlNiFe decagonal quasicrystal have been compared with the previously published data for an i-AlCuFe icosahedral quasicrystal.     

Microstructure of a composite with a quasicrystalline phase fraction obtained by directional solidification of Al61Cu27Fe12 alloy

The microstructure of a composite containing a quasicrystal phase, i.e. so-called crystal–quasicrystal (CQ) composite, was studied. The CQ composite was obtained by the Bridgman method via solidification of Al₆₁Cu₂₇Fe₁₂ alloy (numbers indicate at%). The process was conducted at a pull out rate of v = 0.07 mm/min. The average temperature gradient in the heating zone was 43 K/cm. The composite matrix consisted of cubic β phase Al(Fe, Cu), with reinforcement of λ-phase rod-shaped fibres surrounded by a quasicrystal icosahedral ψ phase, which also existed in the fibre core. The fibres were rhomboidal in cross-section. The composite was studied using X-ray and electron diffraction, light-optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray topography and Laue diffraction.     

Synthesis, X-Ray analysis, and Mössbauer investigation of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystals

Alloys with nominal compositions Al₆₂Cu_25.5Fe_12.5, Al₆₃Cu₂₄Fe₁₃, Al_62.7Cu_24.8Fe_12.5 Al_62.8Cu_24.5Fe_12.7, Al₆₃Cu_24.3Fe_12.7, Al_63.2Cu₂₄Fe_12.8 and Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅ are fabricated by a solid-state reaction. Synthesis is performed in the temperature range 550–750°C. The reaction time varies from 2 to 20 h. X-ray diffraction and nuclear γ-resonance spectroscopy are used to study phase formation during synthesis. The samples with the nominal compositions Al₆₃Cu₂₄Fe₁₃, Al_63.2Cu₂₄Fe_12.8 and Al₆₃Cu_24.3Fe_12.7 annealed at 650°C for 20 h contain only the thermodynamically stable icosahedral phase.     

Al-Cu-Fe二十面体准晶的深过冷研究

通过循环过热净化法研究了Ａｌ－Ｃｕ－Ｆｅ合金系中Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅合金液的深过冷采用循环过热净化法净化Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅合金液，获得了９８Ｋ的过冷度，并制备出直径为６ｍｍ的高纯度的Ａｌ－ＣＳ－ＦＳ二十面体准晶球．随着Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅合金液过冷度的不同，Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅合金液的第一形核相也发生变化．此外，提高对Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅合金液的净化程度，可以提高合金液的形成Ａｌ－Ｃｕ－Ｆｅ二十面体准晶的能力．     

Structural evolutions of the mechanically alloyed Al<Subscript>70</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>20</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>10</Subscript> powders

Elemental mixtures of Al, Cu, Fe powders with the nominal composition of Al₇₀Cu₂₀Fe₁₀ were mechanically alloyed in a planetary ball mill for 80 h. Subsequent annealing of the as-milled powders were performed at 600–800°C temperature range for 4 h. Structural characteristics of the mechanically alloyed Al₇₀Cu₂₀Fe₁₀ powders with the milling time and the heat treatment were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Mechanical alloying of the Al₇₀Cu₂₀Fe₁₀ did not result in the formation of icosahedral quasicrystalline phase (i-phase) and a long time milling resulted in the formation of β-Al(Cu,Fe) solid solution phase (β-phase). The i-phase was observed only for short-time milled powders after heat treatment above 600°C. The β-phase was one of the major phases in the Al₇₀Cu₂₀Fe₁₀ alloy. The w-Al₇Cu₂Fe₁ phase (w-phase) was obtained only after heat treatment of the short-time milled and unmilled samples. The present investigation indicated that a suitable technique to obtain a large amount of quasicrystalline powders is to use a combination of short-time milling and subsequent annealing.     

Atomic dynamics of the α-(Al,Si)CuFe alloy: A crystalline approximant of a quasicrystal...

The atomic dynamics of the Al_0.550Si_0.070Cu_0.255Fe_0.125 alloy with the structure that approximates the structure of an icosahedral quasicrystal with a similar chemical composition has been investigated using inelastic neutron scattering. The partial vibrational spectra of copper, iron, and aluminum atoms and the total spectrum of thermal vibrations of the compound have been directly reconstructed from the experimental data for the first time. A combined analysis of the results obtained and the data on the atomic dynamics of the i-AlCuFe icosahedral quasicrystal has been performed.     

落管中Al4Mn合金的形核研究

用1.2米长的落管对Al₄Mn合金进行了形核与过冷的研究.在落管底部收集到的样品中得到了正交Al₆Mn,β-Mn,两个十次准晶相关相、一个二十面体五次准晶相关相和十次准晶畴.发现这些相的含量与样品的尺寸大小有关,根据传统的形核理论对相含量与样品尺寸大小之间的关系作了定性的分析和讨论. 关键词：     

EFG studies of the AlCuFe quasicrystal and related structures

It is known that the structure and thermal stability of the AlCuFe icosahedral quasicrystalline (i-QC) phase is extremely sensitive to the exact composition. A stable, ideally quasiperiodic phase exists only along a line around Al_62.0Cu_25.5Fe_12.5. The other i-QC samples show structural changes when annealed around 700 °C. The⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer EFG properties and isomer shifts of these various i-QC phases and of the new rhombohedral approximant phase are presented, and compared with the properties of the Al site investigated by NMR. Certain new systematic trends will be presented.     

Electron spectrum and wave functions of icosahedral quasicrystals

Electron spectra and wave functions of icosahedral quasicrystals have been investigated in the tight-binding approximation using the two-fragment structural model (the Amman-MacKay network) with “central” decoration. A quasicrystal has been considered as a limiting structure in a set of optimal cubic approximants with increasing lattice constants. The method of level statistics indicates that the energy spectrum of an icosahedral quasicrystal contains a singular (nonsmooth) component. The density of electron states has been calculated for the first four optimal cubic approximants of the icosahedral quasicrystal, and the respective Lebesgue measures of energy spectra of these approximants have been obtained. Unlike the case of a one-dimensional quasiperiodic structure, the energy spectrum of an icosahedral quasicrystal does not contain a hierarchical gap structure typical of the Cantor set of measure zero in a one-dimensional quasicrystal. Localization of wave functions in an icosahedral quasicrystal has been studied, and their “critical” behavior has been detected. The effect of disorder due to substitutional impurities on electron properties of icosahedral quasicrystals has been investigated. This disorder makes the electron spectrum “smoother” and leads to a tendency to localization of wave functions. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1009–1025 (March 1998)     

Study of the magnetic properties of GdZn compound using PAC spectroscopy with 140Ce and 111Cd as probe nuclei

Nanocrystalline Al₆₄Cu₂₃Fe₁₃ icosahedral quasicrystal has been obtained by milling of solid quasicrystal precursors prepared by arc-melt. The local structure around Fe atoms was studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy using a quadrupole splitting distribution method. Mössbauer results of annealed and milled samples show the existence of a broadened distribution of Fe sites which is associated to intrinsic disorder. The structural characterization was determined using x-ray diffraction. The average grain-size of the nanostructured quasicrystal, obtained from the line broadening of the X-ray diffraction peaks, was estimated to be of the order of 10 nm for a sample milled by 5 h.     

Formation and properties of Al composites reinforced by quasicrystalline AlCuFeB particles

Al-based composites reinforced by icosahedral (i-) Al₅₉Cu_25.5Fe_12.5B₃ quasicrystalline particles were prepared by solid-state sintering. It was found that Al diffusion from the matrix to the quasicrystalline particles induces phase transformation into the ω-Al₇Cu₂Fe tetragonal phase. In order to preserve the i phase, we used an oxidation pre-treatment of the particles and studied its influence on the kinetics of the phase transformation (Al + i → ω) as a function of temperature by high energy X-ray diffraction. The oxide layer acts as a barrier, reducing efficiently the diffusion of Al up to a sintering temperature of 823 K, allowing the control of the phases in the composites. The mechanical properties and the friction behaviour of the composites were investigated and show the negative influence of the oxide on the interface strength.     

Spin Glass Behavior in a Decagonal Quasicrystal Al-Mn-Fe-Ge System

The magnetic behavior of a decagonal quasicrystal Al₄₀Mn₂₅Fe₁₅Ge₂₀ system has been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetization and AC susceptibility measurements. Magnetization measured at low fields as a function of temperature shows a cusp-like peak around 41K. AC susceptibility also shows a sharp cusp, and the cusp shifts to a higher temperature as the frequency increases. These results strongly suggested that Al₄₀Mn₂₅Fe₁₅Ge₂₀ is a spin glass system with T _g =41K. From the temperature dependence of the Mössbauer spectrum, we observed the appearance of a hyperfine field below around 50K. The temperature is a little higher than the cusp temperature, which is rather usual in spin glass systems.     

Atomic dynamics of an Al<Subscript>0.62</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>0.255</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.125</Subscript> icosahedral quasicrystal

The atomic dynamics of an Al_0.62Cu_0.255Fe_0.125 icosahedral quasicrystal is investigated using inelastic neutron scattering (the isotopic contrast method). The partial vibrational spectra of copper, iron, and aluminum atoms in the icosahedral quasicrystal and the total spectrum of thermal vibrations of the compound are directly reconstructed from the experimental data for the first time. It is found that the vibrational energies of copper and iron atoms fall in relatively narrow ranges near 16 and 30 meV, respectively, whereas the vibrational energies of aluminum atoms lie in a wide range (up to 60 meV).     

Electron microscopy of dislocations in quasicrystals

The Bragg diffraction contrast of dislocations in icosahedral Al₆₂Cu_25.5Fe_12.5 was investigated experimentally in the transmission electron microscope. In good agreement with the results of a theoretical treatment based on the kinematical column approximation, it was found that the contrast vanishes under two basically different diffraction conditions. This is different from the behaviour in normal crystals and is due to the special structural features of dislocations in quasiperiodic lattices. Quantitative evaluation of the results indicates that the phason component of the dislocation strain field is substantially stronger than the phonon component.     

Physical, mechanical, and tribological properties of quasicrystalline Al-Cu-Fe coatings prepared by plasma spraying

The physical, mechanical, and tribological properties of quasicrystalline coatings based on the Al₆₅Cu₂₃Fe₁₂ alloy prepared by plasma spraying have been investigated. The specific features of the phase formation due to the competitive interactions of the icosahedral ψ and cubic β phases have been elucidated. A correlation between the microhardness and the content of the icosahedral phase in the coating has been determined. The decisive role of the quasicrystalline phase in the formation of high tribological characteristics of the coatings has been revealed and tested.     

Investigation of quasicrystalline Al<Subscript>62.5</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>25</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>12.5</Subscript> and crystalline β-Al<Subscript>50</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>33</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>17</Subscript> alloys by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The electronic spectra of the valence band and core levels of the surface of polygrain alloys with the icosahedral structure and the β-(CsCl)-type solid solution of Al₅₀Cu₃₃Fe₁₇ were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained XPS spectra of the Al_62.5Cu₂₅Fe_12.5 alloy, in comparison with those of the crystalline Al₅₀Cu₃₃Fe₁₇ alloy demonstrate narrowing and a decrease in asymmetry of the Fe2p core level and a decrease in the electron state density N(E _F ) near the Fermi level, features expected for the poorly conducting icosahedral phase. The XPS data are compared with the estimates of N(E _F ) based on the low-temperature specific heat measurements.     

Mössbauer effect study of the decagonal quasicrystal Al65Co15Cu20

The ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer effect study at 5.0 K and in an external magnetic field of 9.0 T on a high-quality stable decagonal quasicrystal Al₆₅Co₁₅Cu_19.9Fe_0.1 is presented. It is shown that the iron atoms are located in two distinct classes of sites. The values of the principal component of the electric field gradient tensor and the asymmetry parameter at these sites are, respectively, ?1.90(10)?×?10²¹ V/m², 0.97(15) and ?3.95(12)?×?10²¹ V/m², 0.00(17).