Local structure evolution of Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ soft magnetic materials by mechanical alloying

Mechanically alloyed Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ soft magnetic materials have been prepared with different atomic compositions. The alloy structures are investigated by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). The results show that mechanical alloying (MA) can drive the Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ powder mixture to produce amorphous alloy while the atomic concentration of Fe element is about and over 40%. On the contrary, the MA Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ is a solid solution with a fcc-like structure in the region of lower Fe atomic concentration (<22%), preserving a medium-range order around Ni and Fe atoms. Moreover, we have found that the local structure geometry of Fe atom is similar to that of Ni atom for all the MA Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ samples. It indicates that the local structures of Fe and Ni atoms in a Fe_xNi_77-xCu₁Nb₂P₁₄B₆ sample only depend on the x value of element Ni after ball milling.