A conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy study of monocrystalline iron implanted with nitrogen

Abstract

Monocrystalline films of α-iron were implanted at room temperature with nitrogen to different doses. The transmission electron microscopy and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements have shown clearly that the two techniques are complementary in determining the nitride phases present in the implanted films. At low doses (lower than 5×1016 ions/cm2) the α′-martensite is formed with the implanted nitrogen occupying octahedral sites. At higher doses (greater than 5×1016 ions/cm2) two phases which are more compact and progressively richer in nitrogen are observed, ε-Fe3N and ε-Fe2+xN.