Effect of ion irradiation on the nanocrystallization and magnetic properties of soft magnetic [Fe.sub.72.5][Cu.sub.1][Nb.sub.2][Mo.sub.1.5][Si.sub.14][B.sub.9] alloy

The effect of accelerated [Ar.sup.+] ions on the crystallization process and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline [Fe.sub.72.5][Cu.sub.1][Nb.sub.2][Mo.sub.1.5][Si.sub.14][B.sub.9] alloy has been studied using X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, thermomagnetic analysis, and other magnetic methods. Irradiation by [Ar.sup.+] ions with an energy of 30 keV and a fluence of 3.75 x [10.sup.15] [cm.sup.-2] at short-term heating to a temperature of 620 K (which is 150 K below the thermal threshold of crystallization) leads to the complete crystallization of amorphous alloy, which is accompanied by the precipitation of the [alpha]-Fe(Si) solid solution crystals (close in composition to [Fe.sub.80][Si.sub.20]), [Fe.sub.3]Si stable phase, and metastable hexagonal phases. The crystallization caused by irradiation leads to an increase in the grain size and changes the morphology of grain boundaries and volume fraction of crystalline phases, which is accompanied by changes in the magnetic properties. Keywords: ion irradiation, soft magnetic alloy, crystallization, nanocrystalline structure, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, magnetic methods of analysis