Anomalous Concentration Dependence of Amorphous Curie Temperature and the Thermopower in Ternary Fe-Cr-B Glasses

A non-monotonic compositional dependence of the amorphous Curie temperature (T am c ) and of the thermopower (S) was found in Fe80−xCrxB15 glassy samples. The significant change in the slope of concentration dependence of both properties lead to the conjecture of a hidden structural change in amorphous state. Similar anomalies were also observed earlier in the concentration dependence of microhardness in the same glasses, which clearly contradicts to the traditional homogeneous single phase concept of glassy state. The results are interpreted on the basis of the existence of quenched-in phase reminiscences (clusters) in these alloys inherited from the liquid state.