Moessbauer spectrometry and X-ray diffraction studies of the Fe87Zr6B6Cu1 nanocrystallization process

Fe87Zr6B6Cu1 amorphous ribbon were obtained by the melt spinning technique under a controlled atmosphere. One-hour isothermal treatments at different temperatures were performed in a differential thermal analyzer apparatus in an Ar atmosphere. The Conversion Electron Moessbauer Spectrometry (CEMS) and X-ray diffraction measurements of the Fe87Zr6B6Cu1 sample in different steps of the nanocrystallization process have been performed. The results have been compared with those obtained by means of Transmission Moessbauer Spectrometry (TMS) technique. The X-ray diffraction patterns and CEMS spectra of the studied samples present systematically higher crystallized fractions than those corresponding to spectra obtained by transmission geometry. As these techniques offer us information about different regions of the sample, the differences among the obtained results have been related to an inhomogenization of the crystallization process into the sample induced by the thermal treatment. (authors)