Thermodynamic investigations of the Mn-Ni-C-N quarternary alloys by solid-state galvanic cell technique

In view of the important applications of carbides and nitrides of transition metals in the hard materials industries, the thermodynamic activities of manganese in Mn-Ni-C-N alloys have been studied by solid-state galvanic cell technique with CaF2 as the solid electrolyte. The phase compositions and microstructure of various alloys have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nitrogen was introduced into the alloy by equilibrating with N2 gas. It was established during the experiments that the solubility of nitrogen in the alloys was affected by the carbon content. A (Mn,Ni)4(N,C) nitride was formed during the nitriding procedure in the alloys. The electromotive force (EMF) measurements were carried out in the temperature range 940-1127 K in order to determine the activities of Mn in the alloys. The activities of manganese were calculated and compared with those of the corresponding Mn-Ni-C ternary alloys