Spherical carbonyl iron particles were flattened in a PM 400 Retsch planetary ball mill with a ball to powder ratio 10:1 at rotation speed of 100 rpm.Ball milling was performed for 8, 12, 16, 36, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h in ethanol to avoid agglomeration.As-milled flakes were named SU-8, SU-12, SU-16, SU-36, SU-48, SU-72, SU-96 and SU-120 respectively.