The saturation magnetisation, Curie temperature and size effect of amorphous iron alloys

Measurements of the saturation magnetisation, Curie temperature and size effects are reported for the amorphous iron alloys Fe-X, where X is one of, or a combination of, B, Al, Ga, C, Si, Ge and P. The saturation magnetisation when plotted as a function of the total metalloid content shows an approximate trend in terms of charge transfer from the metalloid to iron atoms. The Curie temperature data show an approximate coincidence when plotted against X except for Fe-B-Al and Fe-B-Ge. This common curve follows semiquantitatively from results obtained here on the basis of the itinerant electron model. The relative change of volume dln V/dx was found to vary systematically with the effective valency of the added metalloid.