Amorphous to crystalline transformation of Fe81B13.5Si3.5C2

Abstract

The crystallization of Fe81B13.5Si3.5C2 (Metglas 2605SC) has been studied by resistivity, differential thermal analysis (DTA), Mössbauer and x-ray techniques, and compared with reported results based on other techniques. The DTA shows in addition to the usual two peaks a third peak at 850 K paralleled by a change in the resistivity measurements at the same temperature. The crystallization is found to take place gradually in the temperature region 750–810 K with ∝-iron precipitating first. Mössbauer studies provide evidence for ∝-Fe, Fe2B, and a species with a hyperfine magnetic field ∼314 kOe which could not be unequivocally established. X-ray data shows evidence for the presence of Fe3C in addition to ∝-Fe and Fe2B.