The composition dependence of the structural and magnetic properties in Fe92−xBxZr7Cu1 nanocrystals

Abstract Melt-quenched amorphous Fe 92− x B x Zr 7 Cu 1 (2⩽ x ⩽23) ribbons were heat treated to the end of the first crystallization stage. The size of the BCC grains decreases from 20 to 6 nm with increasing B content, while the average thickness of the residual amorphous phase stays approximately constant at about 4 nm. The nanocrystalline BCC phase contains 2–4 at% of dissolved B and Zr, which is also reflected in its modified Curie temperature. The average composition of the residual amorphous regions in the nanocrystalline composite was established as Fe 2 (B 1− y Zr y ), which makes possible a direct comparison of macro- and nanophases of close composition.