Magnesium oxide Magnesium oxide Magnesium oxide (MgO), or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium (see also oxide). It has an empirical formula of and consists of a lattice of Mg ions and O ions held together by ionic bonding. Magnesium hydroxide forms in the presence of water (MgO + HO → Mg(OH)), but it can be reversed by heating it to separate moisture. Magnesium oxide was historically known as magnesia alba (literally, the white mineral from magnesia – other sources give magnesia alba as MgCO), to differentiate it from "magnesia
Oxide dispersion-strengthened alloy ODS steel. This process seems simple but many parameters need to be carefully controlled to produce a well made alloy. Work by Leseigneur and coworkers has been done to carefully control some of these parameters in order to get more consistent and better microstructures in ODS steels. In this two step method the oxide is ball-milled for longer periods of time to ensure a homogeneous solid solution of the oxide in the metal matrix. Then the powder is annealed at higher temperatures to begin a controlled nucleation of the nano-oxide clusters. Finally the powder is again compressed and sintered to