Novel routes to new intermetallic compounds

Recent kinetic in situ neutron diffraction measurements of the crystallisation and phase formation processes in amorphous metallic alloys have shown that it is possible to create entirely new, intermetallic compounds with extremely novel structures and magnetic properties. The technique therefore offers the opportunity of probing the interplay of structural, magnetic and electronic properties in more detail than ever before. In this report, we illustrate the technique with the results of a kinetic neutron diffraction experiment in which the very high count rates available on the D20 powder diffractometer have allowed the crystallisation of amorphous Y7Fe3 to be followed in situ. (authors)