AMORPHIZATION OF THE INTERMETALLIC COMPOUND V2ZR BY BALL-MILLING

To separate the different stages of the bail milling process, the formation of an amorphous phase starting from an intermetallic compound was investigated. Experimental conditions are described under which the intermetallic compound V2Zr becomes X-ray-amorphous. Upon heating the amorphous phase in a DSC apparatus, no crystallization is observed up to a temperature of 813 K. At 859 K, an exothermal reaction takes place associated with the crystallization into V- and Zr-solid solutions. The thermodynamic conditions in the system V-Zr are discussed based on a simple Calphad approach. The conclusion is that the results of the milling process in the V-Zr system depend strongly on the exact milling conditions. This may be a common feature of systems with positive enthalpy of mixing.