The effect of mechanical milling on the structure and magnetic properties of Fe2Sc Laves phase

The Fe2Sc intermetallic compound with C14 Laves phase structure was mechanically milled. The structural evolution and the change in atomic order were followed by X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The influence of mechanical milling on the magnetic properties was studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurement. The results indicated that ball milling induced a partial chemical disorder followed by an amorphization. The partial chemical disorder and the amorphization lead to an increase in magnetic moment of Fe in the materials. The amorphous phase exhibits a ferromagnetic behavior with Curie temperature of about 250 K, which is much lower than that of 540 K for the original compound. The crystallization temperature of the amorphous phase is about 873 K, as determined by DSC measurement.