Diffusion of iron in β-iron telluride (Fe 1.12Te) by Mössbauer spectroscopy and tracer method

Abstract

The diffusion coefficient of iron in a β-iron telluride (Fe 1.12Te) polycrystalline sample was measured by Mössbauer diffusional line broadening method which relates to the collapse of coherence in gamma-ray photon by the atomic jump at local sites. The diffusion coefficient of iron along the c- axis in nearly single crystal of β-iron telluride was also measured by tracer technique which shows the results of an atom transport in long distance. The activation energies for the diffusion of iron in Fe 1.12Te obtained by the Mössbauer spectroscopy and the tracer method were 91.5±5.4 and 106±23 kJ/mol , respectively. The diffusion coefficients of iron in β-iron telluride obtained by Mössbauer line broadening are in fair agreement with the values averaged from that along c- axis obtained by tracer method and that along a- and b- axes obtained from reaction rate constant between iron and tellurium by the previous study of the present authors.