Tailoring magnetic softness of Fe-based amorphous alloys with superior magnetization by magnetic field annealing

The inverse relationship between the saturation magnetic flux density ( B s ) and coercivity ( H c ) of Febased amorphous alloys is a very active research topic that has been extensively debated. In this work, we conducted a detailed investigation on the magnetic softness of Fe 83.2- x Co x B 10 C 6 Cu 0.8 ( x = 0 and 6 at.%) amorphous alloys based on analysis of the surface morphology, microstructure, magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic domain structure. Enhanced magnetic softness-magnetization synergy was realized in the present alloys by magnetic field annealing (MFA) during the de-stressing process. A dramatic 84 % reduction of H c to 2.2 A/m was achieved for the Co-doped alloy under MFA, exhibiting excellent magnetic performance with a superb B s of 1.86 T. The consistency between the experimental results and theoretical analysis revealed that the MFA process can mitigate the trade-off between stress-induced anisotropy and induced uniaxial anisotropy owing to the homogenized structure formed by field annealing. Thus, the process favored a low H c due to the significant continuous decline in the total magnetic anisotropy, which coincided well with the results of Magneto-optical Kerr microscopy. The study elucidates a mechanism for tuning H c in Co-doped alloy systems and affords a possible pathway for softening amorphous alloys with high B s . (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.