Investigation of nanocrystalline iron materials by Mössbauer spectroscopy

TLDR: In this paper, a two-component Mossbauer spectrum of a nanocrystalline material is investigated, consisting of a crystalline component and an interfacial component, formed by the atoms located either in the crystals or in the interfacial regions between them.

Abstract: Nanocrystalline materials, which have been proposed to represent a new solid state structure, are investigated by Mossbauer spectroscopy. Nanocrystalline materials are polycrystals with a crystal size of typically 1–10 nm. These materials consist of two components of comparable volume fractions: a crystalline component and an interfacial component, formed by the atoms located either in the crystals or in the interfacial regions between them. As the atomic configurations of both components are different, two kinds of Mossbauer spectra are expected. Iron nanocrystalline material is found to exhibit a two‐component Mossbauer spectrum, consisting of a crystalline component and a second one with different Mossbauer parameters. The Mossbauer parameters of the second subspectrum are consistent with the model of the interfacial component of a nanocrystalline material.