Magnetic characterization of the mechanically induced thermite reaction between Fe2O3 and Al

CUADRADO LABORDE, CHRISTIAN; DAMONTE, CRISTINA; MENDOZA ZELIS, LUIS; SOCOLOVSKY, LEANDRO; TORRIANI, IRIS

PHYSICA B - CONDENSED MATTER

Elsevier

Lugar: New York; Año: 2004 vol. 354 p. 125 - 128

0921-4526

We have investigated the mechanically induced self-propagating reaction between Fe2O3 and Al. In this reaction the final phases, Al2O3 and Fe, are formed by an in situ chemical reaction. The evolution of the system was characterized as a function of the milling time using X-ray diffraction,magnetometry (300 and 5 K) and Mössbauer spectroscopy (300 and 77 K). After reaction, Fe particles in a crystalline Al2O3 matrix have been formed. At larger milling times,a rather wide Fe grain size distribution of around 20 nm was obtained according to the diffraction patterns. Mössbauer spectra were constituted of both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic contributions. The former was attributed to small grains of superparamagnetic Fe (within the Mössbauer characteristic time 1x10E-8 s) and FeAl2O4 , whereas the latter was associated to larger Fe grains. Saturation magnetization, coercivity field and remanent magnetization rapidly reached a stationary value with the milling time. A correlation between the microstructural characteristics of the sample and its magnetic properties before and after reaction is described.