Low-field magnetic properties of amorphous and nanocystalline FeCrCuNbSiB alloys

The AC susceptibility dependence on magnetic field, time and temperature of amorphous as well as nanocrystalline Fe73.5-xCrxCu1Nb3Si13.5B9 (x=0-4) alloys was studied. Micromagnetic model is used for calculating the activation energy spectra (AES) of the magnetic after-effect (MAE). It was observed that addition of Cr to the amorphous FeCrCuNbSiB alloys highly decreases the amplitude of the MAE so that no MAE is observed for Cr content higher than 2 at%. After annealing at 550 deg. C, the initial susceptibility increases as a result of magnetic softening during nanocrystallization and the MAE vanishes. The nanocrystalline state was characterized by the high magnetic as well as structural stability. Moreover, addition of 1 at% Cr makes the initial susceptibility of the nanocrytalline sample higher than in the FINEMET alloy