Crystallization study of amorphous Al82Fe5Ni5Ce8 alloy

The crystallization behavior and thermal stability of Al82Fe5Ni5Ce8 amorphous alloy, obtained by mechanical alloying, were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analyzer (DTA) at constant heating rate. One exothermic peak was observed from the continuous heating DTA curves, implying the crystallization process undergoes only one stage. The product phases of crystallization are intermetallic compounds Al11Ce3 and Al3(Fe, Ni). The crystallization kinetic parameters, including activation energy (Ea), Avrami exponent (n) were determined with isothermal and isochronal analysis method based on the DTA data. The results suggest that the crystallization mechanism is governed dominantly by a three-dimensional diffusion-controlled growth.