Magnetic properties of Fe(75)Si(15)Al(10) crystalline powders and domain structural observations using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

Fe(75)Si(15)Al(10) flakes with soft magnetism were manufactured by microforging granules and annealing them at temperatures up to 800 degrees C in Ar atmosphere. Spherical granules 50 mu m in diameter were transferred after milling to a thin plate of 1 mu m thickness with elongated subgrains. After annealing, the deformed subgrains were recrystallized with equiaxed grains 200 nm in size. Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and Foucault imaging revealed the milled and annealed flakes to consist of in-plane spins within a longitudinal double-layered domain structure. The magnetic properties of the Fe(75)Si(15)Al(10) flakes depend strongly on platelike shape anisotropy and orientation anisotropy due to the {200} texture, which can easily induce magnetization through in-plane spin directions. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.