The ga-ni-si (Gallium-Nickel-Silicon) system

The phase diagrams of Gallium-Nickel-Silicon (Ga-Ni-Si) ternary system by establishing one isothermal temperature condition and melting and quenching the alloys were analyzed. The allows were homogenized at 800°C, water quenched, and x-ray diffraction was used for phase identification and phase boundary determination. The existence of five ternary intermediate phases are reported in the Ga-Ni-Si system, the phases are found to extend along approximately fixed Ni content lines, and the phase regions are approximately 2 at.% wide. The five ternary phase alloys with low Ga content show a martensitic structure while the diffraction pattern of one of the phases is found to consist of many diffraction lines. The existence of a phase in the ternary with the same crystal structure as the binary phase suggests possible stabilization of the other phase to lower temperatures due to addition of Si.