Thermal and phase evolution of mechanochemical reactions in the Al-Fe3O4 system

The physicochemical and thermal behavior of mechanochemically activated Al- Fe3O4 mixtures have been studied. The composition and structural changes un dergone in the reaction system have been analyzed by DTA and XRD. Experimen tal evidence indicates that the nature of the products was dependent on the conditions of mechanochemical and thermal treatments. Under adequate exper imental conditions, a self-sustained reaction was triggered, with the produ ction of alpha -Fe and alpha -Al2O3 BY varying the treatment parameters, it was possible, through an alternative reaction path, to obtain different pr oducts which show interesting properties in their application as functional materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.