Crystallization behavior and magnetic properties in High Fe content FeBCSiCu alloy system

• Cu addition inhibits the surface crystallization and improves the GFA.
• The competitive formation of Fe3C and α-Fe phase impedes the devitrification.
• Fe85.5B7C6Si1Cu0.5 nanocrystalline alloy exhibits excellent magnetic properties.
• The alloy system has an economical advantage and convenient productivity.

High Fe content FeBCSiCu nanocrystalline alloys are prepared by annealing melt-spun amorphous ribbons with aim at increasing saturation magnetic flux density. Microstructures identified by XRD and TEM reveal that Cu addition inhibits the surface crystallization of Fe86B7C7 alloy and improve its glass-forming ability. Activation energy of crystallization calculated by Kissinger's equation indicates that both Cu and Si addition promotes the precipitation of α-Fe phase and improves the thermal stability. VSM and DC B–H loop tracer measurements show that the Fe85.5B7C6Si1Cu0.5 nanocrystalline alloy exhibits high saturation magnetic flux density of 1.8 T and low coercivity of 10 A/m, respectively. AC properties measured by AC B–H analyzer show this alloy exhibits low core loss of 0.35 W/kg at 1 T at 50 Hz. Low material cost and convenient productivity make the Fe85.5B7C6Si1Cu0.5 nanocrystalline alloy an economical application in industry.