Properties and influence of microstructure and crystal defects in Fe2VAl modified by laser surface remelting

Abstract

Laser surface remelting can be used to manipulate the microstructure of cast materials. Here, we present a detailed analysis of Fe2VAl following laser surface remelting. Within the melt pool, elongated grains grow nearly epitaxially from the heat-affected zone. These grains are separated by low-angle grain boundaries with 1°–5° misorientations. Segregation of vanadium, carbon, and nitrogen at grain boundaries and dislocations is observed using atom probe tomography. The local electrical resistivity was measured by an in-situ four-point-probe technique. A smaller increase in electrical resistivity is observed at these low-angle grain boundaries compared to high-angle grain boundaries in a cast sample. This indicates that grain boundary engineering could potentially be used to manipulate thermoelectric properties.