Tailoring soft magnetic properties of Fe-based amorphous alloys through C addition

It is known that developing Fe-based amorphous alloys with the saturation flux density (Bs) higher than 1.65 T is a major challenge. In present work, effects of C addition on magnetic properties of Fe-based amorphous alloys were systematically studied. It has been found that the addition of C can significantly increase the saturation flux density (Bs) and the magnetic flux density at 800 A/m (B800) of the Fe–B–C–Si–P amorphous alloys. After the addition of C, the Bs of the amorphous alloys increase from 1.61 T (Fe83B13Si3P1) to 1.65–1.71 T (Fe83B13-xCxSi3P1, x = 1.5, 2, 3 and 4). The Fe83B10C3Si3P1 amorphous alloy possesses excellent soft magnetic properties with high Bs of 1.71 T and low Hc of 1.5 A/m. It shows that density increase of the alloys and weakened metalloid-sp/metal-d bonding caused by C addition contribute to the increment of Bs. It suggests that the newly developed high-performance amorphous alloys possess great potential in application.