Single-phase bulk Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystals by field-assisted sintering

We report the field-assisted spark-plasma sintering (FAST/SPS) synthesis of single-phase bulk quasicrystals starting from ball-milled nanopowders. Our field-assisted sintering procedure exploits the partial melting of the alloy powder precursor, followed by the fast cooling of the sintered part. The formation of the Al-rich grain-boundary phase is kinetically suppressed. The feasibility of FAST/SPS method for the production of bulk Al-Cu-Fe nano-quasicrystalline solids with high chemical homogeneity and uniform microstructures is demonstrated.