Effect of ball to powder ratio on the mechanosynthesis of Re2C and its compressibility

The mechanosynthesis of hexagonal rhenium carbide (Re2C) from the elements is explored as a function of the balls to powder ratio (BPR). Burgios's equation has been used to calculate the accumulated energy (ΔEaccum) and the transferred energy per hit (ΔEb). To get the complete mechanosynthesis of Re2C several conditions have to be met: BPR > 115:1, ΔEaccum > 500 kJg, and ΔEb > 2.656 × 10−14 kJ. The reaction is completed after 30 min of milling if a BPR of 230:1 is used. The pressure dependence of the unit-cell volume and the lattice parameters have been evaluated by synchrotron radiation diffraction using a diamond anvil cell up to 61(2) GPa. A fit of a 2nd-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state results in a bulk modulus of B0  = 374(3) GPa.