Laser ablation synthesis of Al-based icosahedral powders

The laser ablation (LA) synthesis of ultra-fine-grained powders with domina nt icosahedral structure has been attempted using Al-Cu-Fe and Al-Pd-Mn tar gets. The structure of the Al-Cu-Fe LA powders was examined using synchrotr on radiation diffraction experiments which revealed the presence of the ico sahedral Al-Cu-Fe phase. The Al-Pd-Mn powders were studied using scanning e lectron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive synchrotron radiation diffra ction. For Al-Pd-Mn, the icosahedral phase is also a constituent phase of t he LA alloy powders. Our results indicate that LA may be successfully used for obtaining quasicrystalline-based ultra-fine grained powders and/or surf ace coatings, while also providing a basis for the powder metallurgy proces sing of these materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved .