Interaction with surroundings and high energy ball milling of 3Fe/Al powder mixture

The ball milling of 3Fe/Al powder mixture was conducted on a Frisch Pulversitte 5 type ball mill.The evolution of structure and phases of the powder mixture and interaction of the powder with surroundings in the process of ball milling were investigated by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.The results indicate that cold welding and fracturing of particles occurs during milling.The final product of the ball milling is supersaturated solid solution of α-Fe(Al) which is covered with a thin film of Fe_2O_3 and Al_2O_3.