Nanocrystallization effects on the specific heat of Fe–Co–Nb–B amorphous alloy

Abstract Specific heat at constant pressure, C P , was measured on amorphous, nanocrystalline and fully crystalline samples of Fe 60 Co 18 Nb 6 B 16 alloy. Magnetic and calorimetric measurements agree, describing a continuously decreasing Curie temperature of the amorphous phase. A clear enhancement of C P over the Dulong–Pettit limit has been observed (from 14% to 25 %). Part of the enhancement is due to magnetic (mainly amorphous phase) and electronic contributions, although an excess volume can be inferred from the high value of the slope of C P versus temperature.