What can one learn about Fe-Cr alloys using M\"ossbauer spectroscopy?

TL;DR

This review highlights how Mössbauer spectroscopy provides detailed insights into the structural, magnetic, and kinetic properties of Fe-Cr alloys, including phase diagrams, phase transformations, and effects of treatments.

Contribution

It comprehensively reviews the application of Mössbauer spectroscopy in analyzing Fe-Cr alloys, emphasizing its sensitivity to local atomic and magnetic environments and its role in studying phase behavior.

Findings

MS detects Cr atom distribution and phase boundaries.

MS reveals magnetic transition temperatures and phase transformations.

MS shows effects of heat, strain, and irradiation on alloy properties.

Abstract

Applications of the M\"ossbauer spectroscopy (MS) in the investigation of Fe-Cr alloys are reviewed. A high sensitivity of the hyperfine magnetic field to the presence of Cr atoms in the vicinity of the probe Fe atoms permits quantitative investigation of various aspects related both to the crystallographic as well as to the magnetic phase diagram of this alloy system. Concerning the former, presented is the relevance of MS for determining borders of the miscibility gap and kinetics of the phase decomposition, distinguishing between nucleation and growth and spinodal decomposition, identifying the sigma-phase and studying kinetics of its precipitation. Regarding the magnetic phase diagram, MS is useful for determining the Curie, the N\'eel and the spin-freezing temperature, hence studying paramagnetic-ferromagnetic, paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic-spin-glass transitions. An effect of different heat treatments, strain and irradiation with various particles on a distribution of Cr atoms in the Fe matrix is demonstrated, too. For bcc-FeCr alloys relevance of MS for determining changes in spin and charge densities at Fe-sites induced by neighboring Cr atoms is illustrated, as well as its usefulness in studying changes caused by a high-temperature sulphidation and oxidation. Concerning properties of sigma-FeCr alloys the application of MS for determining the Curie and Debye temperature is reviewed. Application of MS to study an effect of magnetism on the lattice dynamics of Fe atoms in sigma-FeCr is also exemplified. Last but not least, determining a magnetic texture and mechanical alloying is addressed.