Effect of electron irradiation on nano-crystallization of Fe-Nd-B amorphous alloys

摘要

Formation of a nanocrystalline structure through rapid solidification, thermal crystallization and electron irradiation induced crystallization was investigated in Fe-Nd-B alloys. A nanocrystalline structure was obtained by rapid quenching of the melt in a Fe_(86)Nd_9B_5 alloy, while an amorphous single phase was formed in a Fe_(77)Nd_(4.5)B_(18.5) alloy. In the latter alloy, a nanocrystalline structure was obtained by thermal crystallization and electron irradiation induced crystallization of the amorphous phase. The average grain size of the precipitate obtained by irradiation at 298 K was about 8 nm, which is much smaller than that obtained during thermal crystallization. Results indicate that electron irradiation is effective for obtaining a novel nanocrystalline structure in Fe-Nd-B alloys.