Combined reactions associated with L10 ordering

This paper attempts to describe fundamentally the differences observed for thin film and nanoparticle materials and review the microstructural evolution in bulk L1₀ alloys (i.e. FePt alloys). In bulk large grained materials, the L1₀ transformation is dominated by the coherent nucleation and growth of the ordered phase within the grain and the kinetics are controlled by lattice diffusion. Materials subjected to ordering are driven further from equilibrium by the introduction of a large density of crystalline defects such as dislocations, grain boundaries and surfaces. These materials allow for the possibility of other solid state reactions to occur which involve the annealing out of these defects by processes of recrystallization, grain growth, and sintering. Therefore, the kinetics of the ordering process is greatly enhanced due to the combined reactions by two mechanisms: the driving forces acting together to transform the material and the short circuit diffusion within the defects.