Glass forming ability, microstructure and magnetic property of NdAlNiCuFe alloys

The glass forming ability (GFA), microstructure and magnetic property in (Nd₆₀Al₁₀Ni₁₀)Cu_20-xFe_x (0≤x≤ 20) alloys were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and magnetic property measurement. It is shown that the GFA of the alloys decreases with Fe content. The samples for bulk cylinders with x≤10 show a distinct endothermic peak in the DSC traces due to a glass transition in the range of 421-438 K. With further increasing Fe, the glass transition is masked by the crystallization. The microstructure of the Nd-based alloy can change progressively from full glassy state into composite state with nanocrystalline particles in the glassy matrix indicating the glass forming ability degrades with increasing Fe. The average size of nanocrystals increases with Fe and the distribution changes from homogenous to heterogeneous. The magnetic property varies from paramagnetic to hard magnetic when the Fe content increases up to about 4at% indicating that the magnetic property is related to the metastable phases.