Characterization of cold-sprayed nanostructured Fe-based alloy

The ball-milled Fe–Si alloy was used as feedstock for deposition of nanocrystalline Fe–Si by cold spraying process. The microstructure of the as-sprayed nanostructured Fe–Si was characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The grain sizes of the feedstock and as-sprayed deposit were estimated based on X-ray diffraction analysis. The microhardness and coercivity of the deposited Fe–Si alloy were characterized. The results showed that the as-sprayed deposit presented a dense microstructure. The mean grain size of the as-deposited Fe–Si was several tens nanometers and comparable to that of the corresponding milled feedstock. The temperature of driving gas presented little effect on the microstructure of cold-sprayed nanostructured Fe–Si deposit. The mechanical alloying induced oxygen contents up to 8 wt% in the feedstocks and subsequent deposits. The microhardness of the deposit reached about 400 Hv. The deposit achieved a high coercivity up to 190 kA/m indicating the potential possibility for applications to recording materials.