Effect of Ag microalloying on the magnetic properties and microstructure of Fe–P–C amorphous alloys

Abstract

In this work, a series of Fe80−xAgxP13C7 (x = 0, 0.4, 0.6, and 1.0 at. %) amorphous/nanocrystalline alloys with high saturation magnetization (Ms) and excellent bending ductility were produced through melt spinning. The effect of Ag microalloying on the thermostability, microstructure, and soft magnetic properties was then investigated in detail. We observed that the doping of Ag could increase the value of Ms, without significantly deteriorating the coercive force. The increase in Ms was due to the precipitation of α-Fe nanocrystals, caused by Ag, which had a positive mixing enthalpy and immiscibility with iron, resulting in phase decomposition and acting as sites for α-Fe nanocrystalline nucleation. This work offers a promising method for preparing soft magnetic materials with amorphous/nanocrystalline structures and good bending ductility, without annealing.