Composition dependent properties of mechanically alloyed amorphous Fe-Zr-B powders

We report the preparation of Fe-Zr-B amorphous alloys by mechanical alloying in a planetary ball mill for 100 hours. Structural investigation of the as-milled powders has been carried out using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope techniques. The crystallization behavior of the amorphous powders has been studied using a differential scanning calorimeter. Magnetic properties of the powders have been investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer. It has been observed that both thermal and magnetic properties of the as-milled alloy powders vary up to a critical boron concentration of 7.5 at.%. The coercivity of the amorphous powders was compared to that of melt spun ribbons. The high coercivity of the as milled alloy powder has been attributed to the effective anisotropy of the as-milled powders.