Determination of the Partial Structure Factors of the Metallic Glass Fe80B20

Abstract

By X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction using the isotopic substitution method, the partial structure factors /S_FeFe, S_FeB, and S_BB well as S_NN, S_CC, and S_NC were determined for the metallic glass Fe₈₀B₂₀. The Fourier-transforms yielded the pair correlation functions G_ij from which the atomic distances and the partial coordination numbers were calculated. The partial coordination numbers are in good agreement with those of the metastable Fe₃B-phase, which is the first crystallization product formed during annealing of the metallic glass Fe₈₀B₂₀. The chemical short range order parameter amounts to 100%, thus indicating perfect chemical order.