Effect of ion irradiation on the nanocrystallization and magnetic properties of soft magnetic Fe72.5Cu1Nb2Mo1.5Si14B9 alloy

The effect of accelerated Ar+ ions on the crystallization process and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Fe72.5Cu1Nb2Mo1.5Si14B9 alloy has been studied using X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, thermomagnetic analysis, and other magnetic methods. Irradiation by Ar+ ions with an energy of 30 keV and a fluence of 3.75 × 1015 cm–2 at short-term heating to a temperature of 620 K (which is 150 K below the thermal threshold of crystallization) leads to the complete crystallization of amorphous alloy, which is accompanied by the precipitation of the α-Fe(Si) solid solution crystals (close in composition to Fe80Si20), Fe3Si stable phase, and metastable hexagonal phases. The crystallization caused by irradiation leads to an increase in the grain size and changes the morphology of grain boundaries and volume fraction of crystalline phases, which is accompanied by changes in the magnetic properties.