Aging of a nanostructured Zn50Se50 alloy produced by mechanical alloying

TL;DR

This study investigates the aging process of a nanostructured ZnSe alloy produced by mechanical alloying, revealing phase transformations, atomic migration, and changes in crystallinity over time and temperature.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the aging mechanisms and phase stability of nanostructured ZnSe alloys under various thermal conditions.

Findings

Se atoms migrate and form crystalline selenium during aging

Crystalline selenium transforms into amorphous state upon heat treatment above 221°C

Aging affects lattice parameters and crystallite sizes

Abstract

The aging of a nanocrystalline equiatomic ZnSe alloy produced by mechanical alloying was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The measured XRD patterns showed that Se atoms located at interfacial component migrated with aging giving raise to a crystalline selenium (c-Se) phase. DSC spectra of heat-treated samples at temperatures above 221oC followed by quenching showed that the c-Se particles changed to the amorphous state. It was also observed that the as-milled and aged samples are highly hydrophilic. The lattice parameters and the average crystallite sizes were calculated as a function of time of aging and temperature of heat treatment.