Experimental investigation of the Zn-Fe-V system at 450°C

The 450 degrees C isothermal section of the Zn-Fe-V ternary phase diagram has been determined experimentally using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy/wave dispersive spectroscopy. A new ternary compound T, containing 1.4 to 4.5 at.% V, 5.6 to 15.5 at.% Fe and 82.3 to 92.2 at.% Zn, was positively identified for the first time in this study. The existence of the sigma-phase, together with two Zn-V compounds, VZn3 and V4Zn5, at 450 degrees C has been confirmed. Fe has no detectable solubility in Zn-V compounds. But it was proved that about 3.0 at.% Zn can dissolve into alpha-V at 450 degrees C. Experimental results indicated that the maximum solubility of V in delta, Gamma(1), and Gamma was 0.5 at.%, 1.3 at.% and 1.8 at.% respectively, whereas that in zeta was less than 0.2 at.%.