Physical Properties of Ti[sub.45]Zr[sub.38]Fe[sub.17] Alloy and Its Amorphous Hydride

The alloys based on Ti-Zr are considered an excellent candidate for hydrogen storage applications. In this communication, we report the results of Fe substitution for Ni in the well-known Ti[sub.45] Zr[sub.38] Ni[sub.17] compound. The parent and related compounds can be obtained as amorphous powders, transforming into the quasicrystalline phase (i-phase) after annealing. The amorphous Ti[sub.45] Zr[sub.38] Fe[sub.17] phase is transformed into the icosahedral quasicrystalline state, and it is a quasi-continuous process. The i-phase is well-developed close to 500 °C. At higher temperatures, the quasicrystal structure transforms into the other phase: the w-phase (an approximant to the crystalline phase) and another crystal phase with a small addition of the FeZr[sub.3] and the Fe[sub.2] (ZrTi)[sub.3] . The amorphous Ti[sub.45] Zr[sub.38] Fe[sub.17] phases can be hydrogenated while maintaining the amorphous nature, which constitutes another very fascinating research field for our group. The investigated alloy shows a good capacity for gaseous H[sub.2] at level 2.54 wt.% at elevated temperatures. The ferromagnetic signal of the amorphous TiZrFe comes from magnetic nanocrystallites in the amorphous matrix. After heating, the magnetic signal significantly decreases due to the lack of long-range magnetic ordering in the i-phase of the Ti[sub.45] Zr[sub.38] Fe[sub.17] alloy.