Effects of Ribbon Thickness on Structure and Soft Magnetic Properties of a High-Cu-Content FeBCuNb Nanocrystalline Alloy

doi:10.1007/s40195-021-01244-y

Abstract

Abstract:

The effects of ribbon thickness (t) on the structure and magnetic properties of a Fe_82.3B₁₃Cu_1.7Nb₃ alloy in melt-spun and annealed states have been investigated. Increasing the t from 15 to 23 μm changes the structure of the melt-spun ribbons from a single amorphous phase to a composite with dense α-Fe nanograins embedded in the amorphous matrix. The grain size (D_α-Fe) of the α-Fe near the free surface of the ribbon is about 6.7 nm, and it gradually decreases along the cross section toward the wheel-contacted surface. Further increasing the t to 32 μm coarsens the D_α-Fe near the free surface to 15.2 nm and aggravates the D_α-Fe ramp along the cross section. After annealing, the ribbon with t = 15 μm has relatively large α-Fe grains with D_α-Fe > 30 nm, while the thicker ribbons possessing the pre-existing nanograins form a finer nanostructure with D_α-Fe < 16 nm. The structural uniformity of the ribbon with t = 23 μm is better than that of the ribbon with t = 32 μm. The annealed ribbons with t = 23 and 32 μm possess superior soft magnetic properties to the ribbon with t = 15 μm. The ribbon with t = 23 μm exhibits a high saturation magnetic flux density of 1.68 T, low coercivity of 9.6 A/m, and high effective permeability at 1 kHz of 15,000. The ribbon with t = 32 μm has a slightly larger coercivity due to the lower structural uniformity. The formation mechanism of the fine nanostructure for the ribbons with suitable t has been discussed in terms of the competitive growth effect among the pre-existing α-Fe nanograins.

Key words: Fe-based nanocrystalline alloy, Microstructure, Pre-existing α-Fe nanograin, Soft magnetic properties, Ribbon thickness

Li-Cheng Wu, Yan-Hui Li, Xing-Jie Jia, Ai-Na He, Wei Zhang. Effects of Ribbon Thickness on Structure and Soft Magnetic Properties of a High-Cu-Content FeBCuNb Nanocrystalline Alloy[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2022, 35(2): 235-242.

Figures/Tables 10

Fig. 1 XRD patterns of free and wheel-contacted surfaces of melt-spun Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t

Table 1 t, tcry, and Dα-Fe distributions of melt-spun and annealed Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t, and Bs, Hc, and μe of the annealed ribbons

t (μm)	Melt-spun		After annealing at 803 K for 60 min
	t_cry (μm)	D_α-Fe (nm)	D_α-Fe (nm)			B_s (T)	H_c (A/m)	μ_e at 1 kHz
	t_cry (μm)	near-middle	near-free	near-middle	near-contacted	B_s (T)	H_c (A/m)	μ_e at 1 kHz
15 ± 2	-	-		32.0 ± 1.9		1.69 ± 0.01	93.2 ± 3.3	1700 ± 100
23 ± 2	19 ± 1	4.3 ± 1.0	14.0 ± 1.7	13.7 ± 1.5	33.7 ± 2.3	1.68 ± 0.01	9.6 ± 0.7	15,000 ± 200
32 ± 2	29 ± 1	7.7 ± 1.2	18.0 ± 1.8	12.0 ± 1.1	34.9 ± 2.5	1.67 ± 0.01	25.0 ± 1.3	8000 ± 200

Fig. 2 Bright-field TEM images inset with corresponding SAED patterns and grain size distributions near middle layer of Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with the t of 15 μm a, 23 μm b, 32 μm c

Fig. 3 DSC curves of melt-spun Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t

Fig. 4 Hysteresis loops inset with partially enlarged B-H loops near zero field of Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t in melt-spun state and after annealing at 803 K for 60 min

Fig. 5 Changes in Hc a and Bs b as a function of Ta for Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t

Fig. 6 XRD patterns of the annealed Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t

Fig. 7 Bright-field TEM images inset with corresponding SAED patterns and grain size distributions near middle layer of the annealed Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with the t of 15 μm a, 23 μm b, 32 μm c, respectively

Fig. 8 Bright-field TEM images inset with corresponding SAED patterns and grain size distributions near free and wheel-contacted sides of the annealed Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with t of 23 μm a, b and 32 μm c, d, respectively

Fig. 9 Schematic of microstructure evolution at different heating stages of the melt-spun Fe82.3B13Cu1.7Nb3 ribbons with different t

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