LOW ELECTRON-ENERGY LOSS SPECTROSCOPY OF QUASI-CRYSTALLINE AND CRYSTALLINE ALLICU ALLOYS

The authors report the first STEM-EELS results in AlLiCu alloys by investigating the icosahedral Al6CuLi3 (T2), and the cubic Im3 Al5CuLi3 (R) phases. This work confirms the similarity between the T2 and the R structures previously proposed from transmission electron microscopy observations. The similarity extends over plasmon losses and LiK and AlL edges. The absence of features in the near-edge spectra reveal complex atomic environments of the Al and Li atoms. The room temperature electrical resistivity is similar in the crystalline and icosahedral compounds.