Nanocrystallization, good soft magnetic properties and ultrahigh mechanical strength for Fe82-85B13-16Si1Cu1 amorphous alloys

New Fe82-85B13-16Si1Cu1 amorphous alloys with low B content and high B/Si content ratios were synthesized by melt spinning for developing good soft magnetic and high strength materials. The crystallization occurs through two stages and the first-stage onset temperature increases from 673 K to 705 K with increasing B content, while the second-stage temperature remains nearly constant. The first and second stages are due to the precipitation of the α-Fe(Si) phase with a size of about 30 nm and the decomposition of the remaining amorphous phase to α-Fe(Si)+Fe3B+Fe2B, respectively. The Fe-based alloys exhibited good soft magnetic properties both in annealed amorphous and nanocrystallized amorphous+α-Fe(Si) phases. The saturated magnetic flux density, coercivity and permeability at 1 kHz are 1.7 T, 4.92 A/m and 7100, respectively, for the annealed amorphous 14B alloy and 1.74 T, 5.62 A/m and 10100, respectively, for the nanocrystallized 13B alloy. The Vickers hardness (H v) is 803–867 for the as-spun state and it increases with decreasing B content. The H v increases significantly by crystallization to α-Fe+amorphous phases and reaches 997–1550 for the alloys annealed at 693–763 K just before T x2. The ultrahigh H v is presumably due to the combination of fine nanoscale mixed phases, high volume fraction of α-Fe(Si) without internal defects and the enrichment of B into the remaining amorphous phase. Such ultrahigh H v has not been obtained for Fe-based amorphous and crystallized alloys before and the addition of 1%Cu is essential for the ultrahigh H v and the amorphous phase formation for the Fe-rich 85%Fe alloy. The new Fe-based alloys are encouraging as future soft magnetic and ultrahigh strength materials with low material cost.