In situ — High Temperature Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Iron Nitrides and Nitridoferrates

The stoichiometric iron nitrides γ′‐Fe₄N, ε‐Fe₃N and ζ‐Fe₂N were characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The thermal decomposition of ε‐Fe₃N was studied in‐situ by means of a specially developed Mössbauer furnace. We found ε‐Fe₃N to γ′‐Fe₄N and ε‐Fe₃N_x (x ≥ 1.3) as decomposition products and determined the border of γ′/ε transformation at T ? 930 K. Mössbauer spectroscopy was applied to study in‐situ the thermal decomposition of the nitridometalate Li₃[Fe^IIIN₂] and the formation of Li₂[(Li_1‐xFe^I_x)N], the compound with the largest local magnetic field ever observed in an iron containing material. The kinetics of formation and the stability of Li₂[(Li_1‐xFe^I_x)N] was of particular interest in the present study.