Mössbauer spectroscopy of metals from birth to death

In today's metallurgy, precision techniques, such as X-ray and electron diffraction, electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and electron probe micro-analyzer, are being indispensably used, and, comparing to them, Mössbauer spectroscopy is not inferior at all in usefulness, convenience and cost benefit. Actually, however, it is not yet popular among the metallurgists probably because people believe that the Mössbauer effect is a difficult physics, radioactive sources are difficult to handle, and spectral analyses are complicated. These beliefs are in fact groundless and must be dissolved for further diffusion of this useful Mössbauer technique in metals and other industries. The present introductory talk intends to help people's better understanding and no anxiety for using the Mössbauer spectroscopy by showing how it can be applied to various problems of metals and alloys from their birth to the end, that is, from the study of minerals and ores before smelting to that of corrosion and other failures. Firstly, the principle of Mössbauer spectroscopy will be explained with simplest illustrations together with simple pictures of apparatuses including the high temperature furnace and the high pressure cell. In the second will be shown typical examples of Mössbauer patterns of magnetite, carbon steel and other alloys, with indications of how to analyze the seemingly complicated spectra. Some other examples will be shown with special apparatuses easy to measure. The usefulness and convenience of Mössbauer spectroscopy will be understood again from these examples. More examples will be on amorphous alloys and other advanced materials.