LAUSR

Abstract Spherical-like bulk e-Fe3−xCoxN (x = 0.0, 0.25, 1.95) alloys have been synthesized through high-pressure solid-state metathesis (HPSSM) reactions at 5 GPa and 1673 K, employing Fe2O3, CoO and hBN as reaction precursors. The as-prepared nitrides e-Fe3−xCoxN crystallizes isostructural to e-Fe3N as evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction (RXPD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). A detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of the as-prepared nitrides reveal that both binary e-Fe3N and ternary e-Fe3−xCoxN have metallic form Fe0 character due to the diffusion of nitrogen from the idea 2c interstitial site, but no evidence for the exists of metallic form Co0 in the ternary e-Fe3−xCoxN nitrides. We also find that the enhancement of Ms and Hc with the increase of Co at% in e-Fe3−xCoxN may be due to the altered micro structural and exchange interactions.