Experimental methods
Powder processing
Magnesium Silicide (Mg2Si) powders were manufactured
from commercially available high purity magnesium silicide
pieces (99.99 %, Alfa Aesar). The raw materials were
ground under Argon (Ar) atmosphere in a planetary ball
mill (BM) with hexane as dispersion medium. BM process
was accomplished in 24 h with an optimized rotational
speed of 330 rpm. Afterward, the consolidation of Mg2Si
powder was achieved under Ar atmosphere using Dr Sinter
2050 Spark plasma sintering (SPS—imported from Sumitomo
Coal Mining Co., Tokyo, Japan) using a graphite die