Identification of Phases in Zinc Alloy Powders Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction

Abstract

Scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were used for the structural characterization of phases in Zn alloy powders. Commercial Zn alloy powders contained additions of <1000 ppm of Bi, In, Al or Mg. Bismuth and in have extremely low solubility in Zn and form intermetallic Bi-In compounds which segregate to the Zn grain boundaries. The Bi-In phases were <0.3 μm in size, had low melting points, and were not abundant enough for EBSD analysis. Increasing the alloying additions 20-40-fold resulted in Bi-In phases >1 μm that could be used for EBSD analysis for phase characterization. Deformation-free microstructures were obtained by mechanical polishing and ion milling. The Zn matrix was characterized as Zn via EBSD. A BiIn2 phase was identified in the powder microstructures via EBSD. An in phase with 8-9 wt.% Bi was identified using low voltage energy dispersive spectroscopy and closely matched the composition predicted by the Bi-In phase diagram.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Sponsor(s)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)
United States. Department of Energy

Keywords and Phrases

EBSD Sample Preparation; Alkaline Batteries; Electron Backscatter Diffraction; Hydrogen Gassing; Structural Characterization; Zinc Powders

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0921-5093

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2006 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

25 May 2006

Link to Full Text

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