Influence of fluxing in the preparation of bulk Fe-based glassy alloys

Fe-based master ingots, with composition [(Fe50Co50)75B20Si5]96Nb4, have been prepared by arc-melting and subsequently purified using the fluxing technique. Rods, with diameters from 1 to 2.5 mm, ribbons and wires with a maximal diameter of 200 μm have been produced from these purified master ingots. The amorphous structure, thermal stability, hardness and magnetic properties of the specimens were studied. In particular, we show by high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction that the rods are fully amorphous up to a maximal diameter of 2 mm. Moreover, the [(Fe50Co50)75B20Si5]96Nb4 glassy alloy exhibits high hardness (HV = 1050) combined with good soft-magnetic properties (Hc = 63 A/m).