Kinetic and microstructural studies on the devitrification of Fe60−xCo18MnxNb6B16 amorphous alloys

Kinetic and microstructural studies have been performed on Fe60−xCo18MnxNb6B16 (x = 0, 2, 4) alloys by using different techniques. Isothermal and non-isothermal kinetics agree describing the nanocrystallization as a strongly impinged growth process. Developed microstructure is similar for all the studied alloys. Nanocrystals are irregularly shaped, ∼20 nm in size, and formed by agglomerates of smaller and more regular units of ∼5 nm diameter. From the present data it is not possible to exclude the presence of Mn atoms inside the crystals. However, a preferential partition of this element into the residual amorphous matrix is clearly derived from Mössbauer results.