Rapid multiple property determination from bulk materials libraries prepared from chemically synthesized powders.

A variety of high-performance materials are utilized in electrical, electronic, and mechanical systems. Such systems account for a significant fraction of the world's electricity consumption. The next generation of such systems urgently require new material compositions which possess a better combination of both structural and functional properties. Only accelerated methodologies can rapidly determine the required multiple property set. Hence, a range of iron-cobalt-nickel ternary alloy composition powders were chemically synthesized. Compositionally graded bulk materials libraries were prepared by spark plasma sintering of these powders. A multiple property set of the crystal structure, magnetic, mechanical, and electrical properties were determined for a range of compositions. This property set revealed that a good combination of magnetic and mechanical properties can be obtained from FeCoNi, high electrical resistivity from FeCoNi and high saturation magnetization as well as high hardness from FeCoNi. Thus, this multiple property library, developed by accelerated methodologies, can be utilized to identify new ternary compositions satisfying diverse property sets relevant to next generation systems.