Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Results on microstructure and coercivity of current-annealed Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 amorphous alloy treated at different current densities (12–56 A/mm2) and duration (0.5–720 min) are presented. Saturation magnetization and coercivity dependencies with the current density of the nanocrystalline samples is explained by considering the presence of two phases: nanocrystals of Fe(Si) body-centered cubic (bcc) grains and the residual amorphous matrix. An increase in the magnetic hardness observed when the sample was heated by current densities, giving rise to an increase in the sample temperature above the Curie point of the residual amorphous matrix, could be ascribed to exchange and dipolar decoupling of the Fe(Si)-bcc grains.