Characterization of Fe-supersaturated Fe-Al bronze coatings fabricated by magnetron sputter deposition

Magnetron sputter deposition was used to fabricate thin films of several Fe-Al bronze alloy compositions. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were employed to evaluate the structure and composition of the films, and to determine the extent of Fe supersaturation. It was found that magnetron sputtering is an effective method for creating Fe-Al bronze alloys supersaturated with Fe. The maximum Fe content obtained in a sputtered film was 9.8%, well above the normal equilibrium solubility limit of 3.5 %.