Nanocrystalline FeSiBNbCu alloys: Differences between mechanical and thermal crystallization process in amorphous precursors

Nanocrystalline magnetic particles obtained by high energy ball milling of FeSiBNbCu alloy were prepared from rapidly quenched ribbons as a starting material. Structural characterization was made by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The structural changes observed in this amorphous material suggest that nanocrystallization process takes place in a different way from the one induced by thermal treatments. Our different studies reveals that after short grinding times (up to 40 h) the material is composed by a two phase system of very fine nanocrystals embedded in a residual amorphous phase, while for largest periods of milling (from 140 h) the sample consists of a very fine nanocrystalline phase with a large fraction of grain boundary.