It was recalled that the selective oxidation of alloys could cause restructuring of the oxide/alloy interface via the attraction of point defects which were not observed in the bulk alloy. This phenomenon was studied, in the case of the oxidation of (110) NiAl, by means of surface X-ray diffraction experiments. In this system, the strong ordering tendency of NiAl competed with the formation of the very stable oxide, Al2O3. This led to the formation of bulk forbidden Al antisite atoms at the oxide/alloy interface.

Observation of Bulk Forbidden Defects during the Oxidation of NiAl(110). A.Stierle, F.Renner, R.Streitel, H.Dosch: Physical Review B, 2001, 64[16], 165413 (4pp)