Glass-Forming Ability and Magnetic Properties of Al82Fe16Ce2 and Al82Fe14Mn2Ce2 Alloys Prepared by Mechanical Alloying

Abstract

Al82Fe16Ce2 and Al82Fe14Mn2Ce2 amorphous alloys were successfully synthesized by the mechanical alloying technique. The microstructural evolution of the milled powders was thoroughly investigated employing X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, their magnetic properties were quantitatively evaluated by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). A full amorphous structure was obtained for both alloys after milling for 40 h. During the initial milling stage, extending from 5 to 20 h, an fcc solid solution phase was formed, coexisting with the residual Al phase. The partial substitution of 2 atomic percent (at.%) Mn for Fe in Al82Fe16Ce2 did not affect the alloy’s glass-forming ability. The amorphous Al82Fe16Ce2 and Al82Fe14Mn2Ce2 powders exhibited a nearly spherical shape, with diameters ranging from 1 to 3 µm and to 10 µm, respectively. Additionally, both the Al82Fe16Ce2 and Al82Fe14Mn2Ce2 alloys demonstrated characteristics of hard magnetism.