Magnetic properties of Fe-Cu-Nb-Si-B nanocrystalline magnetic alloys

Several ribbons of composition Fe{sub 73.5}Cu{sub 1}Nb{sub 3}Si{sub 16.5}B{sub 6} and Fe{sub 73.5}Cu{sub 1}Nb{sub 3}Si{sub 13.5}B{sub 9} were prepared by annealing the as-quenched samples between 525 C and 700 C, which induced nucleation of nanocrystallites of Fe bcc-type composition. Mean grain sizes were obtained from X-ray diffraction. Static magnetic properties were measured with both a Magnet Physik Hysteresis-Graph (up to 200 Oe) and a SHE S.Q.U.I.D. Magnetometer (up to 50 kOe). Soft magnetic parameters (coercive field and initial permeability) were very sensitive to grain size. The ZFC magnetization at low field showed a broad peak at a temperature T{sub M}, thus signaling a certain distribution of nanocrystalline sizes, and T{sub M} strongly decreased when the mean grain size decreased. Isothermal magnetization curves at low temperature showed the expected asymptotic behavior of a random magnet material at low and high fields.