Ni diffusion in the high-temperature intermetallics Ni3Sb studied by quasielastic neutron scattering

Nickel diffusion in the high-temperature phase of the intermetallic alloy Ni3Sb is extremely fast compared to diffusion in other intermetallics. We have studied quasielastic neutron scattering, which permits us to determine the elementary diffusion mechanism on an atomic scale. A model explaining diffusion by Ni jumps between the alpha - and gamma -Ni sublattices of the D03 (Fe3Si) structure has been tested and satisfactory agreement has been obtained.