AFM investigations during the nanostructure formation in FeZrB alloys

We present a study by intermittent contact atomic force microscopy technique, using the corresponding line profile analysis, performed in as-cast amorphous and Joule heated nanocrystalline Fe91Zr7B2 ribbons. The average grain size of the nanocrystalline phases estimated from AFM images, (≈10–15 nm), correlates well with respect to that obtained from neutron powder diffraction. The differences in the relative amount of amorphous to nanocrystalline phases estimated from both techniques, suggest that the onset of the crystallisation process begins at the ribbon surface.