Ferromagnetic Gold-Iron Alloys

Abstract

Magnetic measurements were made on a gold-iron alloy containing 37 atomic percent iron, both in the quenched and successively annealed states. It was found that the quenched supersaturated solid solution is ferromagnetic. When this supersaturated solid solution was gradually heated up, perceptible precipitation took place at about 450°C. Both the final gold-rich and iron-rich phases precipitated at 450°C were found to be magnetic at room temperatures. Magnetic measurements, checked by Debye-Scherrer patterns, indicate that the mechanism of precipitation in the alloy is mainly of the non-uniform type.