Nanostructured hypoeutectic Fe-B alloy prepared by a self-propagating high temperature synthesis combining a rapid cooling technique

We have successfully synthesized bulk nanostructured Fe _94.3B _5.7 alloy using the one-step approach of a self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) combining a rapid cooling technique. This method is convenient, low in cost, and capable of being scaled up for processing the bulk nanostructured materials. The solidification microstructure is composed of a relatively coarse, uniformly distributed dendriteto a nanostructured eutectic matrix with α-Fe(B) and t-Fe ₂B phases. The fine eutectic structure is disorganized, and the precipitation Fe ₂B is found in the α-Fe(B) phase of the eutectic. The dendrite phase has the t-Fe ₂B structure rather than α-Fe(B) in the Fe _94.3B _5.7 alloy, because the growth velocity of t-Fe ₂B is faster than that of the α-Fe with the deeply super-cooling degree. The coercivity (Hc) and saturation magnetization (Ms) values of the Fe _94.3B _5.7 alloy are 11 A/m and 1.74T, respectively. Moreover, the Fe _94.3B _5.7 alloy yields at 1430 MPa and fractures at 1710 MPa with a large ductility of 19.8% at compressive test.