Ultrafast synthesis of the nanostructured Al59Cu25.5Fe12.5B3 quasicrystalline and crystalline phases by high-energy ball milling: Microhardness, electrical resistivity, and solar cell absorptance studies

Abstract

In this study, the Al59Cu25.5Fe12.5B3 nanoquasicrystalline alloy and related crystalline phases were synthesized through mechanical alloying using a high-energy ball milling and consolidated by a cold isostatic pressing apparatus. This paper focuses on the synthesis, structural and microstructural evolutions, thermal stability, microhardness, and electrical and optical properties of the Al59Cu25.5Fe12.5B3 nanoquasicrystalline alloy for solar selective absorber usages. The structural evolutions of the mechanically alloyed and heat-treated AlCuFeB powders were investigated by X-ray diffractometry. Accordingly, the effect of milling time and heat treatment on the formation of quasicrystalline and related crystalline phases were studied in the AlCuFeB alloy system. The microstructure, morphology, and chemical microanalysis of the un-milled and as-milled powders were examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The composition of the as-milled AlCuFeB powders was estimated employing inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the AlCuFeB powders was recorded by differential thermal analysis, and the weight gain of the particles during annealing was investigated through thermogravimetric analysis. The nanostructured Al59Cu25.5Fe12.5B3 stable quasicrystalline phase and crystalline Al(Cu,Fe) solid-solution were synthesized by the ultrafast milling procedure in 1 h. The rationale behind using the term ultrafast synthesis is to synthesize the QC i-phase only by the high-energy ball milling procedure in short-term ball milling without subsequent annealing treatment. However, the single quasicrystalline phase could not be obtained even after the annealing treatment. The quasicrystalline size was calculated by the Williamson–Hall method and optimized by the Rietveld refinement procedure, and it was found that the size is varied between 53 and 61 nm. Furthermore, the particle size distribution of the as-milled AlCuFeB powders was measured using laser static light scattering, which ranges from 0.1 to 50 μm. The microhardness of the consolidated as-milled and heat-treated samples was estimated utilizing the Vickers microhardness indenter. At the same time, their electrical resistivity was assessed by the four-point probe method at room temperature. The spectral analyses of absorption on the consolidated as-milled samples were carried out in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions. It was found that the presence of the quasicrystalline phase in the AlCuFeB alloy prominently improves the microhardness, electrical resistivity, and particularly sunlight absorptance.