Conditions for the formation and the structure of a metastable cerium modification

Mathematical simulation of heat transfer processes and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to show that, upon the quenching of cerium from the melt at rates of greater than 3.5 × 10⁵ K/s, a metastable μ′-Ce modification with a seven-layer hexagonal structure is formed. The formation of μ′-Ce is explained by the accumulation and ordering of stacking faults in the fcc lattice of the γ phase leading the process of crystallization upon rapid cooling from the melt.