Zirconium–indium intermetallic compounds investigated by measurements of nuclear electric quadrupole interactions

The nuclear electric quadrupole interaction (QI) of the nuclear probe 111Cd on In sites of intermetallic compounds of the Zr–In system has been investigated as a function of temperature (15 ≤ T ≤ 1200 K) by perturbed angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy. Zr–In compounds were synthesized by arc-melting of the metallic constituents and doped with 111In, the mother isotope of the probe nucleus by diffusion at 1200 K. Strength, symmetry and temperature coefficient of the electric field gradient (EFG) were determined for four In sites: the two 8e-sites of ZrIn2 and sites (2b, 4d) of β-ZrIn3. The temperature dependence of the relative intensities of these sites in the PAC spectra provides information on Zr–In solid state reactions occurring during annealing of arc-molten Zr–In ingots.