Influence of the preparation method on amorphous-crystalline transition in Fe$_{84}$B$_{16}$ alloy

The amorphous-crystalline transition in Fe$_{84}$B$_{16}$ alloys prepared by melt spinning and high-energy ball milling was studied. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction showed that the kinetics of transition into a crystalline state depends on the method of preparing a metastable alloy. In amorphous Fe$_{84}$B$_{16}$ alloy prepared by melt spinning, crystallization proceeded within a time period of below 1 s and was accompanied by the formation of eutectic $\alpha$-Fe–Fe$_{3}$B. At temperatures above 600°C, metastable phase Fe$_{3}$B was found to transform into Fe$_{2}$B and $\alpha$-Fe. In the high-energy ball milling produced alloy, structural changes were accomplished in 4–8 s and the transition into a state with a perfect crystalline structure was caused by the growth of nanocrystallites formed during processing.