Investigation of glass forming ability, crystallization behavior, and soft magnetic properties of Fe–B–P–C–Cu alloy ribbons

Abstract

The effect of Cu content on GFA, crystallization behavior, and soft magnetic properties in high P Fe84+xB6P6C3Cu1−x (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 1.0 at. %) alloy ribbons were systematically investigated to balance the relationship between glass forming ability (GFA), heat treatment window, and soft magnetic properties of high saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys. It was discovered that lowering Cu promotes the formation of an amorphous structure. The GFA of alloys rises from 23 μm for Fe84B6P6C3Cu1 to 29 μm for Fe84.4B6P6C3Cu0.6. Analysis of thermal physical properties shows that when Cu content is between 1.0 at. % and 0.6 at. %, reducing Cu in the alloys does not affect the onset temperature of the first crystallization peak (Tx1), the second one (Tx2), and ΔT (ΔT = Tx2 − Tx1), whereas when Cu content is less than 0.6 at. %, reducing Cu leads to an increase in Tx1 and a decrease in Tx2 and ΔT, which is not conducive to obtaining a wide temperature range of precipitation of a single α-Fe phase. The alloys have a wide range of crystallization annealing temperature (693–753 K) and annealing time (60–6 min) to obtain a low coercivity (Hc) of about 8.0 A/m, high Bs of about 1.80 T, and high effective magnetic permeability (μe) of about 10000 when Cu is between 1.0 at. % and 0.6 at. %. The Bs, Hc, and μe of Fe84.4B6P6C3Cu0.6 alloy annealed at 723 K for 30 min are 1.82 T, 8.1 A/m, and 10820, respectively.