REAL-TIME PURSUIT OF DIFFUSIONLESS PHASE-TRANSITION IN NI3SB USING SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION

Between 500 degrees C and 600 degrees C the intermetallic alloy Ni3Sb undergoes a phase transition between a low-temperature orthorhombic ph ase and a high-temperature cubic phase. We have studied the progress o f the phase transition as a function of time by single-crystal diffrac tion of monochromatic X-rays provided by a synchrotron in combination with a fast read-out CCD based area detector. On cooling and heating i t was possible to follow the transition by registering the progressive splitting, respectively the disappearance of the splitting, of the cu bic Bragg reflections, in particular (220) and (422). (C) 1997 Acta Me tallurgica Inc.