INFLUENCE OF OXYGEN CONTAMINATION ON THE PD-SI SOLID-STATE REACTIONS ACTIVATED BY MECHANICAL ALLOYING

The influence of oxygen contamination on the solid-state reaction (SSR), induced by ball milling, between palladium and silicon, has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and surface anal. X-ray analysis reveals that about 1 wt % of oxygen is able to inhibit the SSR between palladium and silicon, while at higher oxygen content already formed phases are destabilized. The picture merging from photoemission spectra in connection with X-ray analysis indicates that silicon is bonded both to palladium and oxygen at the surface of palladium particles with an increasing silicon enrichment with increasing oxygen contamination.