Solid state synthesis of nanocrystalline and/or amorphous 50Ni-50Ti alloy

A nanocrystalline/amorphous 50Ni-50Ti alloy was produced by solid state synthesis via mechanical alloying from elemental Ti and Ni powders. Using X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy techniques, a mechanically induced solid state reaction of 50Ni-50Ti was investigated. Results showed that nanocrystalline and amorphous Ni-Ti phases were obtained after mechanical alloying. The mechanical alloying of 50Ni-50Ti for 270 ks led to the formation of f.c.c. Ni(Ti) solid solution, characterized by a lattice parameter of 0.3558 nm, crystallite size of 14 nm and lattice strain of 0.98%. The particle size decreased with increasing milling time. The crystallite size of mechanically alloyed 50Ni-50Ti powders was substantially refined as the milling proceeded and the lattice strain increased with the milling time. The steady-state crystallite size was approximately 10-15 nm. The internal lattice strain in Ni-Ti alloy led to the disordering and the subsequent formation of amorphous alloy during mechanical alloying. After heat treatment at 1100degreesC, the as-milled powders transformed into B2-NiTi phase and a small amount of Ti2Ni phase. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.