The effect of high-energy proton irradiation on the microstructure of amorphous Fe–Si–C ribbons

In this study, the crystal structure, surface morphology , and formation of free clusters in amorphous ribbons with Fe 93 Si 6 C 1 composition were investigated. Fe 93 Si 6 C 1 amorphous ribbon samples were produced using the melt spinning technology, which is widely used in the preparation of amorphous materials . This process prevents crystallization in the microstructure of the ribbon, thereby improving its magnetic, mechanical, and electrical properties. This paper examines the effect of irradiation with 2.5 MeV H + ions at doses of 2.5 × 10 13 , 2.5 × 10 14 , 2.5 × 10 15 ion/cm 2 on the microstructure of Fe 93 Si 6 C 1 amorphous ribbons. The results of the SRIM simulation showed that ions penetrate to a depth of ∼27.6 μm in the amorphous ribbon, causing the formation of radiation-induced defects up to this depth. Post-irradiation analysis with X-ray diffraction revealed significant structural changes. The Rietveld refinement method showed that the alloy consists of three phases: Fe (Fm-3m cubic), FeSi (P213 cubic), and Fe 2 C (Pnnm orthorhombic). Although the initial amorphization analysis revealed that the sample had approximately 81.7 % amorphous content, this value was found to decrease to ∼80.6 % after the maximum irradiation dose. The irradiation also resulted in an increase in free volumes, as well as spherical and cylindrical radius within the amorphous ribbon.