LAUSR

Iron nitrides with a high nitrogen content are metastable and can be prepared in the form of fine particles or as a film. An arc discharge of iron metal in a reactive atmosphere provides a convenient method to produce iron-based films. In this study, iron nitride films were formed on an aluminum substrate by arc deposition of iron in a nitrogen atmosphere under a controlled nitrogen flow rate (10–30 sccm). The samples were analyzed by transmission Mossbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. When the temperature of the aluminum substrate during deposition was maintained at 298 K, e-Fe3-2N was obtained for nitrogen flow rates in the range 20 to 30 sccm. When the aluminum substrate was heated to 573 K during deposition with nitrogen flow rates of 15 to 30 sccm, a highly crystalline e-Fe2N film was formed.