HRTEM and EELS study of aluminum nitride in nanostructured Al 5083/B4C processed via cryomilling

The presence of aluminum nitride in nanostructured aluminum metal matrix composites was studied by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis and electron microscopy simulations. Three types of aluminum nitride structures were identified; predominantly, one layer of N atoms occupies the tetrahedral interstitial positions in the Al lattice, the frequency of which varies as a function of spatial location. The second and third were in the form of hexagonal and possibly cubic aluminum nitride particles with particle sizes on the order of 15-20 nm. The results suggest that the aluminum nitride phase evolves from intermediate transitional structures that involve N atoms in the Al lattice. The aluminum nitride phases frequently contained O and Mg, which preferentially segregate in close proximity to the reinforcement particles. First-principle calculations were used to describe the influence of O and Mg on the adsorption of N.