Effect of the substitution of Fe by Co on the magnetic properties and microstructure of nanocrystalline (Fe1-xCox)86Hf7B6Cu1 alloys

(Fe1-xCox)(86)Hf7B6Cu1 (x = 0- 1) alloys were investigated as candidates for soft magnetic materials for elevated temperature applications. The lattice parameter of nanoscale precipitate decreases with the increasing of Co content because of the large Co solubility in the alpha(alpha')-Fe(Co) solid solution. However, it is a little larger than that of the crystalline phase in the Fe(Co) binary alloy. The Curie temperature of amorphous alloys studied monotonously increases with the increase of Co content. The nanocrystallized alloy with Co content of x = 0.4 exhibits both the higher magnetization and lower coercivity at the elevated temperature, being the optimum alloy among the alloys studied for high temperature applications. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.