Formation and Structural Evolution of Fe72.5B15.6Si7.8Nb1.7Zr1.7Cu0.7 Nanocrystalline Alloy

Abstract

A 2.5-mm Fe 72.5 B 15.6 Si 7.8 Nb 1.7 Zr 1.7 Cu 0.7 glassy rod was successfully fabricated using copper mold casting. The introduction of Cu resulted in the formation of large quantities of α-Fe nanoparticles embedded in the glassy matrix after isothermal annealing. The Fe 72.5 B 15.6 Si 7.8 Nb 1.7 Zr 1.7 Cu 0.7 nanocrystalline alloy exhibited high saturation magnetization (~ 1.26 T) and a low coercive force (~ 0.8 A/m) after annealing at 833 K for 15 min due to the precipitation of ~ 15-nm-sized α-Fe nanoparticles in the glassy matrix. The structural evolution of the FeBSiNbZrCu amorphous alloy during the annealing process was discussed using a dual-cluster model.