A study of the magnetic and transport properties of amorphous electrodeposited nickel-phosphorus alloys

Presents the results of an experimental study of electrodeposited amorphous Ni 1-c P c alloys in the concentration range 0.5<c<0.25. The authors' investigations concern the magnetic properties (low- and high-field susceptibilities and magnetisations, NMR, coercive force) and the transport properties (resistivity and magnetoresistance) for temperatures ranging between 1K and 300K. A transition is shown to occur at some critical concentration c 0 (c 0 approximately=18 at.% P); for low phosphorus concentrations (0.15<c<c 0 ) the alloys are nearly weak homogeneous ferromagnets whereas at high concentrations (c 0 <c<0.25) the magnetic properties are dominated by the contribution of nickel-rich inhomogeneities whose size increases with increasing phosphorus content.