Mechanism of combustion synthesis of Mg 2Ni

Abstract

To investigate the mechanism of combustion synthesis of Mg 2Ni, a mixture of Mg, Ni was used for a combustion front quenching test, and the microstructural evolution in the quenched sample was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The temperature–time profile of the combustion was measured, and the phase constituents of the different zones of the quenched sample were inspected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on these experimental results, the mechanism of the combustion synthesis was analyzed, and a solid phase diffusion–dissolution–precipitation mechanism was proposed. An incompleteness of the combustion was found to be related to the usage of coarse reactant powders.