X-Ray Absorption Studies of Fe₈₅ Si₂ B₈ P₄ Cu₁ Alloy

The local structure around Cu in Fe85Si2B8P4Cu1(NANOMET) and Fe85Si2B12Cu1alloys was investigated by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XAFS measurements indicate that the local structure around Cu atoms for the nanocrystallized Fe85Si2B8P4Cu1alloy is a bcc-like structure, suggesting that Cu atoms occupy substitutional site of bcc-Fe or Cu atoms form bcc-type clusters in bcc-Fe nanocrystallites. The compositional TEM analysis indicates that Cu atoms distribute in both nanocrystallites and amorphous matrix. These facts suggest that Cu atoms in the Fe85Si2B8P4Cu1alloy do not form stable fcc-Cu clusters, which act as the nucleation sites in the case of Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1(FINEMET) alloy.