Mechanochemical synthesis of nanocrystalline Fe and Fe-B magnetic alloys

Mechanochemical synthesis and magnetic characterization of nanocrystalline Fe and Fe-B magnetic alloys was the goal of this study. In this regard, different Fe2O3-B2O3 powder mixtures with sufficient amount of CaH2 were milled in a planetary ball mill in order to produce nanocrystalline Fe, Fe95B5 and Fe85B15 alloys. The produced samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results showed that, nanocrystalline Fe, Fe95B5 and Fe85B15 alloys can be successfully synthesized by the reduction reaction of Fe2O3 and B2O3 with CaH2 during mechanical alloying. The structure of produced Fe95B5 and Fe85B15 alloys was a combination of Fe and Fe2B phases with average crystallite sizes of about 15 and 10 nm, respectively. The produced nanocrystalline alloys exhibited soft magnetic properties with the coercivity and saturation of magnetization in the range of 170-240 Oe and 9-28 emu/g, respectively. Increasing the boron content has a destructive effect on soft magnetic properties of Fe-B alloys.