Nanocrystalline (Fe60Al40)80Cu20 alloy prepared by mechanical alloying

► Nanocrystalline Fe(Al, Cu) powdered alloy (10nm) has been synthesized by MA. ► Decreasing the crystallite size increases coercivity and squareness ratio. ► As low crystallites size stronger hard ferromagnetic material results. A nanostructured disordered Fe(Al, Cu) solid solution was obtained from prealloyed FeAl and elemental Cu powders using a high-energy ball mill. The transformations occurring in the material during milling were studied with the use of X-ray diffraction. The transformation of the phase depends upon the milling time. With the increase of milling time all Cu atoms became dissolved in the bcc Fe and the final product of the MA process was the nanocrystalline Fe(Al, Cu) solid solution with a mean crystallite size of 10nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine the morphology of the samples as a function of milling times. Magnetic properties were also investigated and were related to the microstructural changes. The system showed hard magnetic behavior.