Study of the structure and crystallization of an Fe-17 at % B amorphous alloy

Abstract

The structure of an Fe₈₃B₁₇ amorphous alloy was examined in detail, mainly by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The electron density-density correlation derived from the observed intensity had the following characteristic features: a strong correlation concentrated in the short radial distances within about 1.2 nm and a rather weak correlation towards larger distances. After quantitative analysis, it was concluded that a compositional fluctuation occurs on a fine scale of about 1 nm in the amorphous Fe-B alloys, even though phase separation is not present as completely as in the structure model proposed by Boudreaux. Electrical resistivity measurements as well as transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations were performed to investigate the crystallization process. By using the theoretical equation of electrical resistivity reported by Landauer, the temperature dependence for the partially aged amorphous alloys was analysed. The volume fraction of crystalline phase estimated from the present analysis was in good agreement with the results obtained from TEM observation.