Characterization of the effect of alloying additions on the crystallization of an amorphous Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb ₃Cu₁ alloy

An initially amorphous Fe_73.5Si_13.5B ₉Nb₃Cu₁ alloy was partially crystallized by heat treatment. EDX measurements of the crystals and amorphous matrix were performed. These measurements suggested that there is a repulsion between Cu and Nb resulting in the formation of Cu and Nb clusters which served as heterogeneous nucleation sites. The experiments observation suggested that in regions with a low crystal density the growth rate was reduced by the strong interaction of Cu, Si, Nb and Fe atoms. In regions with high crystal density soft impingement due to higher Nb content hindered the growth of the nanocrystals.