Effect of phosphorus additions and milling time on the mechanosynthesis of Ni50Cu40-x(Fe2B)10Px alloys

The effects of phosphorus addition and milling time on the development of phases, microstructural and thermal behaviors in Ni₅₀Cu_40-x(Fe₂B)₁₀P_x (x = 10, 20, and 30at.%) prepared via mechanical alloying, were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. As the phosphorous content and milling time rise, the crystallite size gets finer and the microstrains become more significant. Furthermore, P addition promotes the amorphous phase and subsequent supersaturated solid solution Ni(Cu,Fe,P) by the simultaneous occurrence of amorphization and recrystallization phenomena. Thermal study shows the complexity of the behavior as a function of the phosphorus content associated with the restoration of defects and the recrystallization of intermediate phases.