Annealing-induced different decolorization performances of Fe-Mo-Si-B amorphous alloys

•As-spun FeMoSiB ribbons were annealed below the glass transition temperature.•Annealing could change the thermodynamic state and surface state of the ribbons.•Ribbons annealed at lower temperatures had a better decolorization effect.•Thermodynamic stabilization and surface changes altered decolorization performances.

In this paper, as-spun Fe77.2Mo0.8Si9B13 amorphous ribbons were annealed in a vacuum furnace at different temperatures firstly, and then the decolorization performances of as-spun ribbons and annealed ribbons were investigated. It was found that all ribbons could decolorize acid orange II dye solutions efficiently. The as-spun ribbons showed a much faster decolorization rate than the annealed ribbons, and the ribbons annealed at lower temperatures exhibited better decolorization performances than those annealed at higher temperatures. The decolorization mechanism of those ribbons was analyzed, and thermodynamic stabilization and surface state changes caused by annealing treatment were considered responsible for the differences in their decolorization performances.