Surface effects in Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys

FeZrBCu nanocrystalline materials obtained by controlled crystallization of the amorphous alloy are composed of bcc-Fe grains (10 nm in diameter) embedded in a residual amorphous matrix. In this article it has been shown that in such a mesoscopic system the interfaces exhibit identifiable properties that differ from those of the interior. In the Mossbauer spectra, besides of contributions from bcc phase and that of the residual amorphous matrix, an additional component was observed and attributed to the crystalline grain-amorphous matrix interfaces. The effect of the surface layer on the effective magnetostriction is also presented and discussed. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.