Mechanochemically synthesized Fe3Al-Al2O3 nanocomposite

Fe3Al-Al2O3 nanocomposite powder was successfully synthesized by mechanochemical route starting from Fe2O3 and Al powder mixture. The resulting nanocomposite powder was consolidated at 1400 °C for 1 h. The phase transformation and microstructural characterization during mechanochemical reaction and sintering were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that during ball milling the Fe2O3-Al combustion reaction directly produces the Fe3Al-Al2O3 nanocomposite. The consolidated Fe3Al-Al2O3 part had an ultrafine uniform structure without “core-rim” feature consisting of an interconnected network of Fe3Al and Al2O3 phases.