Short-range order in amorphous ferromagnetic Fe-B alloys

Amorphous and quenched crystalline Fe-B alloys in the composition range of 4–25 at % B were prepared by melt spinning and investigated by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy at T = 87 K. The states of iron atoms in the α-Fe phases, including iron atoms having boron atoms in the nearest coordination sphere, and in the orthorhombic (o) and tetragonal (T) Fe₂B phases are detected in the microcrystalline alloys. The short-range order and the local atomic structure of the amorphous Fe-B alloys are determined. The amorphous alloys consist of microregions (clusters) with short-range order of the t- and o-Fe₂B and α-Fe types. The dependence of the content of various types of clusters on the alloy composition is quantitatively estimated.