材料期刊网

A rapidly quenched nanocrystalline Hf11Ni89 alloy was prepared by means of the melt-spinning technique. The microstructure of the as-quenched ribbon sample was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, magnetothermal analysis and magnetic property measurements. Microstructural analyses indicated only a single HfNi5 nanophase in the as-quenched sample, while the magnetic property measurements revealed a second ferromagnetic or superparamagnetic phase with a low mean 'paramagnetic' Curie temperature. This is considered to be an interfacial Ni(Hf) solid solution phase occurring at grain boundaries. The Hf concentration of the interfacial phase was estimated by means of its magnetic properties. The homogeneity of composition and volume fraction of the interfacial phase were studied and a discussion of their statistical correlation is presented.