Addition of Fe sub(2)O sub(3) as oxygen carrier for preparation of nanometer-sized oxide strengthened steels

Nano-structured ferritic alloys, which are prepared almost exclusively via the mechanical alloying of Y sub(2)O sub(3), have recently attracted much attention. Our preliminary results show that the usage of Fe sub(2)O sub(3) as oxygen source leads to better control of powder properties than Y sub(2)O sub(3) and a high density of nanometer-sized oxide particles can be formed by atomic mixing of Y, Ti and O. This may provide a new route with reduced costs and improved reproducibility for industrial production of nanometer-sized oxide strengthened steels.