Electronic Structure of Iron Nitrides Studied by Electron Diffraction. II. ε-Fe2N and ζ-Fe2N

Abstract
Electronic structure of hexagonal ε -Fe 2 N and orthorhombic ζ-Fe 2 N were determined by the measurement of superstructure reflection intensities, which are contributed only by nitrogen atoms. Specimen films were produced by nitriding evaporated polycrystalline iron films with ammonia gas. From the analysis of observed intensities it was concluded that the electronic structure of ε -and ζ-nitrides are about (Fe +3/2 ) 2 N -3 and (Fe +3/4 ) 2 N -3/2 , respectively. It was also found that antiphase domains are formed in ζ-Fe 2 N as a result of three ways in the nitrogen atom occupation of the octahedral interstices formed by the iron atoms.