Microstructural study of the crystallization of amorphous Fe-Sn-B ribbons

Abstract

Amorphous Fe78Sn5B17 ribbons were prepared by planar flow casting. The thermodynamic stability and the kinetics of observed phase transformations were monitored by thermal analysis. The structure and morphology of phases forming upon the thermally activated crystallization is studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The crystallization begins by nucleation-and-growth of specific nanocrystalline bcc-Fe(Sn) phase, its structure is explored more in details and the role of Sn in its formation is discussed. In the next step of the crystallization a transformation of remaining amorphous matrix to iron borides runs via rather complex process, which is inspected more in details as well.