Magnetic and Structural Properties of Metastable Fe-Cu Solid Solutions

Abstract

Metastable Fe‐Cu solid solutions with Cu concentrations up to 80% were obtained by simultaneous vapor deposition of Fe and Cu on cold substrates. Alloys with less than 50% Cu are bcc and ferromagnetic, the average magnetic moment per atom being slightly higher than for simple dilution. The Curie temperature decreases and the spectroscopic g factor increases with Cu concentration. Alloys with more than 70% Cu are fcc and appear to be paramagnetic. At elevated temperatures the alloys decompose into a bcc Ferich and an fcc Cu‐rich phase. The kinetics of precipitation were studied by means of coercivity measurements; from these an activation energy Q=29 kcal/mole was determined.