Decomposition of pre-existing Au–P clusters induced in situ α-Fe grains uniformization in Fe–P-based nanocrystalline alloys

• Published in: Rare metals Vol. 43; no. 10; pp. 5242 - 5255
• Main Authors: Han, Min-Hao, Sun, Cheng, Xi, Guo-Guo, Meng, Yang, Luo, Qiang, Yu, Xue-Qian, Zhang, Wen-Feng, Liu, Hao, Xu, Hong-Jie, Zhang, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Nonferrous Metals Society of China 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Biomaterials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Energy; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Metallic Materials; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Original Article; Physical Chemistry; Micro-alloying; Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys; Soft magnetic property; In-situ nano-crystallization
• ISSN: 1001-0521; 1867-7185
• DOI: 10.1007/s12598-024-02707-8

In Fe-based amorphous-/nanocrystalline ribbons, the uniformization and refinement of α-Fe grains are key aspects for optimizing their soft magnetic and mechanical properties. Herein, the Fe–P–C–B nanocrystalline alloy system was selected for investigation. We produced as-spun ribbons with pre-existing nanocrystals through melt-quenching and then obtained a well-distributed α-Fe nanocrystalline structure through annealing below the first crystallization onset temperature (633 K), resulting in excellent magnetic properties (saturation magnetization of 1.65 T and coercivity of 1.6 A·m −1 ), ultra-wide annealing temperature window (from 613 to 733 K), and extremely high annealing stability (up to 480 min at 633 K). Furthermore, we propose a new in situ two-step mechanism for the uniformization of α-Fe nanocrystals, which is separately induced by the decomposition of the Au–P clusters and the pre-existing α-Fe nanocrystals during annealing. This work underscores the crucial significance of micro-alloying via metastable clusters primarily influenced by metal-phosphide interactions in the process of refining α-Fe nanocrystals. Furthermore, it introduces a new principle for optimizing the comprehensive properties of Fe-based amorphous/nanocrystalline alloys. Graphical Abstract