Effects of Chemical Composition on Nanocrystallization Kinetics, Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Finemet-Type Amorphous Alloys

In this study, the kinetics of nanocrystallization of amorphous Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 (F1) and Fe77Si11B9Nb2.4Cu0.6 (F2) alloys is investigated. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline alloys are compared. The crystallization temperature of F2 alloy is shifted towards lower temperatures with respect to F1. Thus, the crystalline volume fraction and the crystalline grain size at specific annealing temperature for the F2 alloy are higher than for the F1 alloy, accounting for the higher coercive force of F2 alloy with respect to the one of F1 alloy. According to isoconversional methods, the activation energy for crystallization is variable as a function of transformed fraction because of the continuous changes in chemical composition during the transformation. Mean values of 350 and 290 kJ/mol are obtained for F1 and F2, respectively. Microstructural observations confirm that minor changes in chemical composition affect the kinetics and final microstructure of the nanocrystalline alloy, that determine the observed magnetic properties.