XANES study in the solid state reaction of Zr-Ni system

We have measured x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of mechanically alloyed ZrNi near Ni and Zr K edges as a function of milling time. The x-ray diffraction shows that the system is transformed into an amorphous phase by milling for about 60 h. With increasing the milling time, a small absorption near the Ni threshold rises and finally forms a peak in the amorphous phase, while an absorption near the Zr threshold shows a gradual decrease. The peak of the Ni K edge reflects 3d character strongly hybridized with 4p states, while the absorption of the Zr K edge comes from states having a 4d orbital character.