Application of mechano-chemical synthesis for protective coating on steel grinding media prior to ball milling of copper

One of the major sources of contamination during mechanical milling/alloying is from the surface erosion of the container and the grinding medium. This can either be prevented by using grinding medium and container of same material of the milled material or by adding a coating of the milled material on them. The paper describes the observations made during a mechano-chemical reaction, being used for coating the balls and vials in a planetary ball mill. Visual observation, XRD, optical micrography and EDS analysis were used to understand the progress of the reaction. Copper was successfully coated on the steel balls and vials. The method can easily be adopted in daily production purposes, prior to mechanical milling of a Cu-based powder for prevention of Fe contamination.