Abstract:
We describe the obtaining of iron nanoparticles with the face-centered cubic structure, which was believed not to be stable at ambient conditions. In bulk the y-iron phase is formed above 917 ?C and transforms into the thermodynamically favored a-phase upon cooling. Here we unambiguously demonstrate the unexpected room-temperature stability of the y-phase of iron in the form of nanoparticles with diameters of up to 200 nm. X-Ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy clearly identify the formation of the y-phase at room temperature.
