Preparation of nanocrystalline Fe-Si-Ni soft magnetic powders by mechanical alloying

In this study, structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Fe-Si-Ni powders produced by mechanical alloying (MA) have been investigated. The samples with different chemical compositions and milling times were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The alloy powders with average grain size 8-19 nm were synthesized by milling for 35-100 h. Coercivity (Hc) and crystallite size exhibited a similar decrease by increasing the mechanical alloying time. Maximum saturation magnetization (Ms) and minimum Hc were obtained at the composition of Fe87Si10Ni5 after 70 h milling.