Composition dependence of the glass-forming ability and soft magnetic properties of Fe-rich Fe–Nb–B ternary alloys

Abstract

AbstractThe glass formation, crystallization behavior, and soft magnetic properties of Fe80−xNbxB20 (x = 3, 6, and 9) and Fe82.5−yNbyB17.5 (y = 3.5, 5, 6, and 7) metallic glasses prepared by melt spinning were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that an increased Nb content results in increased thermal stability and glass-forming ability for both Fe80−xNbxB20 and Fe82.5−yNbyB17.5 glassy alloys. The supercooled liquid region increases from 26 to 50 K for Fe80−xNbxB20 alloys and from 32 to 48 K for Fe82.5−yNbyB17.5 alloys. Magnetic measurements reveal that saturation magnetization ranges from 65 to 137 emu g−1 for Fe80−xNbxB20 glassy alloys and varies from 91 to 121 emu g−1 for Fe82.5−yNbyB17.5 glassy alloys. The superior magnetic properties, high glass-forming ability, and low cost of raw materials make the current Fe–Nb–B ternary alloys promising for potential applications in the electronics industry.