Ion-beam mixing in an Al-Fe-Mn system: a conversion-electron Mössbauer and x-ray diffraction study

The formation of mixed metastable phases as a result of ion-beam mixing of the Al-Fe-Mn system with 100-keV Ar+ ions and their subsequent transformations upon thermal annealing have been studied. The mixed state is comprised of both binary (Fe-Al, Fe-Mn, Mn-Al) and ternary (Al-Fe-Mn) metastable phases. Conversion-electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and low-angle x-ray diffraction studies reveal the formation of disordered phases upon ion beam mixing, which acts as a precursor for the growth of the equilibrium phases upon thermal annealing via lowering of kinetic barrier for the reactions.