The influence of short-time ball-milling on the stability of amorphous CoFeB alloys

The influence of short-time milling on the atomic structure of amorphous Co(70.3)Fe(4.7)B(25) has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and x-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) techniques. Our results prove that the milling process crystallizes the initially amorphous sample and that the degree of inherent crystallization is inversely proportional to the powder particle size. The investigation of the local atomic structure documents very similar environments around the Co and Fe atoms. The high-energy ball-milling of amorphous precursor represents a practical way to prepare powders having the desired amorphous/nanocrystalline microstructure