Electronic structure of Fe-based amorphous alloys studied using electron-energy-loss spectroscopy

Abstract

The local atomic electronic structures of Fe-Mo-C-B metallic glasses are investigated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The fracture behavior of this Fe-based amorphous alloy system undergoes the transition from being ductile to exhibiting brittleness when alloyed with Cr or Er atoms. In addition, the glass-forming ability is also enhanced. This plastic-to-brittle transition is suggested to correlate with the change of local atomic short-range order or bonding configurations. Therefore, the bonding configuration of Fe-Mo-C-B-Er(Cr) amorphous alloys is investigated by studying the electronic structure of Fe and C atoms using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. It is shown that the normalized EELS white line intensities of $\mathrm{Fe}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{L}_{2,3}$ edges decrease slightly with an increasing amount of Er additions, while no noticeable difference is obtained with Cr additions. As for the C $K$ edge, a prominent change of edge shape is observed for both alloy systems, where the first peak corresponding to a $1s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ transition increases with increasing Er and Cr additions. Accordingly, it is concluded that changes in the local atomic and electronic structure occur around Fe and C atoms when Er and Cr are introduced into the alloys. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the formation of Er-C and Cr-C carbide like local order inferred from the observed C $K$ edge spectra can provide a plausible explanation for the plastic-to-brittle transition observed in these Fe-based amorphous alloys. In spite of the complexity of electronic and atomic structure in this multicomponent Fe-based metallic glass system, this study could serve as a starting point for providing a qualitative interpretation between electronic structure and plasticity in the Fe-Mo-C-B amorphous alloy system. Complimentary techniques, such as x-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope are also employed, providing a more complete structural characterization.