In situ Mössbauer and magnetization studies of Fe–Si nanocrystallization in Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb1 X2, with X = Nb, Zr, Mo, amorphous alloys

Abstract

The Fe–Si nanosized particles were obtained by controlled partial crystallization of Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb1X2 (X = Nb, Zr, Mo) amorphous alloys. In situ Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurements have been used to follow the temperature-dependent magnetization of the amorphous as well as of the nanosized Fe–Si particles. Our results, for the residual amorphous and of nanoparticles phases, show that the temperature dependence of the hyperfine field and magnetization of both residual amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe(Si) phases are different from that of the as-quenched bulk amorphous or crystalline Fe3Si alloys. Likewise, from the temperature dependence studies it was possible to determine that the onset temperature of the nanocrystallization process increases in the sequence Mo < Nb < Zr, for the same annealing conditions.