Magnetic and thermal characterization of Fe-B-P amorphous nanoparticles prepared by chemical reduction

Fe-B-P amorphous nanoparticles were prepared by adjusting the ratio of the two reducing agents sodium borohydride and sodium hypophosphite in the solution to vary the molar concentration ratio of the non-metallic elements B and P. The amorphous nature was determined using X-ray diffraction and SEM. Fe-B-P amorphous nanoparticles are regularly spherical and have a small particle size. The soft magnetic properties of specimens are measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The magnetic properties show that the saturation magnetization and coercivity of the samples depend strongly on the molar concentration ratio of boron to phosphorus elements in the solution. When the B:P ratio is 2:3, the amorphous nanoparticles exhibit a significant soft magnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization could reach 123 emu/g while the coercivity was as low as 20 Oe. The thermal stability of the representative amorphous Fe-B-P and Fe-B nanomaterials was investigated. The results of the DSC curves show that the addition of phosphorus reduces the initial crystallization temperature. After vacuum annealing, Fe-B-P amorphous particles can still have excellent soft magnetic properties at 380 degrees C and can satisfy the demand of high-temperature work.

Automated summary

Fe-B-P amorphous nanoparticles with excellent soft magnetic properties were prepared by adjusting the ratio of reducing agents, and the addition of phosphorus improved the thermal stability of the particles.