Strength, plasticity, and spin transition of Fe-N compounds in planetary cores

Elastic and plastic properties of Fe-light element alloys and compounds are needed to determine the compositions and dynamics of planetary cores. Elastic strength and plastic deformation mechanisms and their relationship to electronic properties of ε-Fe₇N₃ and γ'-Fe₄N mixture were investigated by x-ray diffraction and x-ray emission spectroscopy in the diamond anvil cell from 1 bar up to 60 GPa. X-ray diffraction shows that ε-Fe₇N₃ reaches a pressure of 15–20 GPa before undergoing bulk plasticity at a differential stress of 4.4–10.4 GPa. ε-Fe₇N₃ is stronger than γ'-Fe₄N and hcp-Fe which achieve a flow stress of 1.5–3.6 GPa at 10–15 GPa and 2–3 GPa at ∼20 GPa, respectively. X-ray emission spectroscopy shows that a decrease in electronic spin moment begins before and completes after plastic flow onset for each nitride, suggesting that pressure-driven changes in electronic arrangement do not trigger a plastic response although they may modify the strength and plastic behavior of Fe-N compounds. Plastic deformation in ε-Fe₇N₃ and hcp-Fe results in a preferred orientation of (0001) normal to maximum compression, while γ'-Fe₄N develops a maximum in the (110). These observations may be combined with measurements of elasticity to model seismic properties of cores of small planetary bodies such as Mars, Mercury, and the Moon.