Laser ablation synthesis of Al-based icosahedral powders

The laser ablation (LA) synthesis of ultra-fine-grained powders with dominant icosahedral structure has been attempted using Al–Cu–Fe and Al–Pd–Mn targets. The structure of the Al–Cu–Fe LA powders was examined using synchrotron radiation diffraction experiments which revealed the presence of the icosahedral Al–Cu–Fe phase. The Al–Pd–Mn powders were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive synchrotron radiation diffraction. For Al–Pd–Mn, the icosahedral phase is also a constituent phase of the LA alloy powders. Our results indicate that LA may be successfully used for obtaining quasicrystalline-based ultra-fine grained powders and/or surface coatings, while also providing a basis for the powder metallurgy processing of these materials.