Effect of P to B concentration ratio on soft magnetic properties in FeSiBPCu nanocrystalline alloys

The effects of P to B concentration ratio on magnetic properties and microstructure in annealed Fe82.65Si2B14-xPxCu1.35 (x = 1-6) soft magnetic alloys prepared by melt spinning were investigated. The proper substitution of B with P was found to be effective in decreasing grain size in the alloys annealed at 793 K for 120 s. The coercive force H-c markedly decreases from 67.1 to 1.1 A/m and the saturation magnetic flux density B-s shows a slightly decreasing trend with increasing P content from x = 1 to 5. The nanocrystalline Fe82.65Si2B9P5Cu1.35 alloy, with an average grain size of 15 nm, shows a combination of high B-s and excellent soft magnetic properties. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3672082