Characterization of radiation-induced lattice vacancies in intermetallic compounds by means of positron-lifetime studies

In the present paper a characterization of atomic vacancies in intermetallic compounds is given by means of positron-lifetime measurements after electron irradiation and comparison with the states after preparation, after long-time annealing, or in high-temperature equilibrium. In TiAl, Ti3Al, and Ni3Al no structural vacancies (detection limit CV=10-6) are observed at ambient temperature. This confirms that in these compounds slight deviations from stoichiometry are compensated by antisite atoms. In the Al-poor B2 alloys FeAl and NiAl, on the other hand, remnant vacancies exist due to the high thermal equilibrium vacancy concentrations and their slow diffusivities. The kinetics of vacancy elimination in FeAl and NiAl is discussed. A substantial temperature dependence of the positron lifetime in vacancies is detected in close-packed intermetallics which is attributed to an increased atomic relaxation or partial positron detrapping at high temperatures. In contrast to that, the temperature dependence of the positron lifetime in vacancies is small in the open-structured B2 aluminides. The lifetimes τf of free delocalized positrons in transition-metal aluminides and in NiZr and NiTi can be correlated to those of the pure components, taking into account the densities of valence electrons. For the positron lifetimes τ1 of vacancies in intermetallic compounds, values of τ1/τf=1.5 endash 1.7 are observed similar as in the pure metals. Annealing studies of B2-FeAl after electron irradiation yield time constants for the disappearance of vacancies identical to those deduced recently for the equilibration of thermal vacancies. In electron-irradiated Ti aluminides annealing processes at 250K and 450K are observed where the latter process is tentatively attributed to long-range migration of vacancies. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society