Effect of uniform magnetic and electric fields on microstructure and substructure characteristics of combustion products of aluminum nanopowder in air

We have analyzed the effect of constant electric and magnetic fields on the micro- and substructure characteristics of the combustion products of aluminum nanopowder in air. It has been found that the combustion of aluminum nanopowder in a magnetic field leads to the formation of single crystals of the hexagonal habitus, while the combustion in an electric field results in the formation of faceted crystallites with layered morphology. The fields noticeably affect the crystal lattice parameters of aluminum oxide and nitride (reduce the coherent scattering regions in aluminum nitride and increase such regions in aluminum γ-oxide). At the same time, the displacement of atoms relative to the equilibrium position becomes noticeably smaller for all crystal phases under the action of the fields (except for aluminum nitride in a magnetic field). These results have been explained by the orienting and stabilizing actions of the fields on the combustion products of aluminum nanopowder in air.