Defects and hyperfine interactions in binary Fe-Al alloys studied by positron annihilation and Mossbauer spectroscopies

TL;DR

This study investigates how varying Al content in Fe-Al alloys affects defects, 3d electron behavior, and hyperfine interactions using positron annihilation and Mossbauer spectroscopies, revealing magnetic and electronic property changes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the relationship between Al content and electronic, magnetic, and defect properties in Fe-Al alloys through combined spectroscopic analyses.

Findings

Positron lifetime increases with Al content.

Hyperfine field decreases as Al content increases.

Alloys transition from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic with higher Al content.

Abstract

The defects, the behavior of 3d electrons and the hyperfine interactions in binary Fe-Al alloys with different Al contents have been studied by the measurements of positron lifetime spectra, coincidence Doppler broadening spectra of positron annihilation radiation and Mossbauer spectra. The results show that on increasing the Al content in Fe-Al alloys, the mean positron lifetime of the alloys increase, while the mean electron density of the alloys decrease. The increase of Al content in binary Fe-Al alloys will decrease the amount of unpaired 3d electrons; as a consequence the probability of positron annihilation with 3d electrons and the hyperfine field decrease rapidly. Mossbauer spectra of binary Fe-Al alloys with Al content less than 25at% show discrete sextets, these alloys give ferromagnetic contribution at room temperature. The M\"ossbauer spectrum of Fe70Al30 shows a broad singlet. As Al content higher than 40 at%, the M\"ossbauer spectra of these alloys are singlet, that is, the alloys are paramagnetic. The behavior of 3d electron and its effect on the hyperfine field of the binary Fe-Al alloy has been discussed.