Microstructural evolution of nanostructured Ti0.9Al0.1N prepared by reactive ball-milling

▶ Nanocrystalline stoichiometric Ti0.9Al0.1N powder has been prepared by ball-milling the 0.9 mol fraction of α-Ti (hcp) and 0.1 mol fraction of aluminum (fcc) powders under N2 at room temperature. Initially, α-Ti phase partially transformed to the transient β-Ti phase and Ti0.9Al0.1N (fcc) phase is noticed to form after 3 h of milling. Nanocrystalline stoichiometric Ti0.9Al0.1N phase is formed after 7 h of milling. The main features which are observed in the present study are stated below: