Effects of Ho addition on thermal stability, thermoplastic deformation and magnetic properties of FeHoNbB bulk metallic glasses

Abstract The influences of Ho addition on the thermal stability of supercooled liquids, thermoplastic deformation as well as mechanical and soft-magnetic behaviors of Fe71-xHoxNb6B23 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were investigated. With increasing Ho content from 1 to 5 at. %, the supercooled liquid region (SCLR) increased from 48 to 90 K, and the thermal stability is largely enhanced through remained chemical short- or medium-ordering. Combined with the competitive formation process of the complex Fe23B6 and Ho2Fe14B phases, the glass-forming ability (GFA) of the alloy system was improved, allowing for the fabrication of glassy rods up to 3 mm in diameter. Due to the large SCLR and GFA, the Fe66Ho5Nb6B23 BMG with high fracture strength of 3.45 GPa shows outstanding thermoplastic forming ability accompanied with good soft magnetic performance.