Phase coexistence in Ti6Sn5 intermetallics

Here we report the structural characterization of a complex Ti-Sn intermetallic compound, Ti6Sn5. From X-ray diffraction, the resulting compound was observed to exist in both orthorhombic and hexagonal phases. Analysis by electron microscopy revealed that “planar-like” defects form throughout the material. Atomic resolution aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals that these “planar-like” defects represent the coexistence of the orthorhombic and hexagonal phases within single grains. The resulting interwoven phases range in thickness from a fraction to multiple unit cells and exhibit coherent phase boundaries with the matrix grain.