Amorphous magnetic semiconductors with Curie temperatures above room temperature

Recently, amorphous magnetic semiconductors as a new family of magnetic semiconductors have been developed by oxidizing ferromagnetic amorphous metals/alloys. Intriguingly, tuning the relative atomic ratios of Co and Fe in a Co-Fe-Ta-B-O system leads to the formation of an intrinsic magnetic semiconductor. Starting from high Curie-temperature amorphous ferromagnets, these amorphous magnetic semiconductors show Curie temperatures well above room temperature. Among them, one typical example is a p-type Co28.6Fe12.4Ta4.3B8.7O46 magnetic semiconductor, which has an optical bandgap of ~2.4 eV, roomtemperature saturation magnetization of ~433 emu/cm3, and the Curie temperature above 600 K. The amorphous Co28.6Fe12.4Ta4.3B8.7O46 magnetic semiconductor can be integrated with n-type Si to form p-n heterojunctions with a threshold voltage of ~1.6 V, validating its p-type semiconducting character. Furthermore, the demonstration of electric field control of its room-temperature ferromagnetism reflects the interplay between the electricity and ferromagnetism in this material. It is suggested that the carrier density, ferromagnetism and conduction type of an intrinsic magnetic semiconductor are controllable by means of an electric field effect. These findings may pave a new way to realize magnetic semiconductor-based spintronic devices that work at room temperature.

Novel experimental strategy towards temperature inhomogeneity during spark plasma sintering of metallic glasses

Despite the importance of temperature distribution in spark plasma sintering of metallic glasses,its quantification has been experimentally laborious.This work proposes an experimental strategy to determine the sintering temperature by establishing a quantitative relationship between the temperature-thermal signal.We reproduced the thermal profiles of spark plasma sintering by isothermal annealing and found a correlation between annealing temperature and isothermal crystallization time.This strong correlation indicates the temperature-dependent structural evolution of glassy powders.Using isothermal crystallization time as the measuring gauge,we correlated the annealing temperature to the sintering temperature and obtained the sample temperature map.The sample temperature is at least 19C higher than the nominal temperature of 425C measured by the thermocouple.Meanwhile,the sample temperature shows a hump-shaped pattern closely correlated with the current density.The maximum temperature of 453C occurs on the sample/punches contact surfaces.Temperature heterogeneity within the sample induces diverse microstructures and porous structures.We elucidate that the temperature inhomogeneity is intrinsic,given the presence of contact interfaces.Contact resistances affect the current distribution and heat transfer,resulting in a larger temperature gradient than the traditional powder metallurgy process.

Magnetic properties of soft magnetic composites prepared by gas-atomized glassy powders from a new Fe-based alloy with high glass-forming ability

With a pressing need for high efficiency, low power consumption, and miniaturization of electronics, soft magnetic composites(SMCs) show great potential, especially for applications in key electronic component. However, core loss is still the focused issue for SMCs that hinders their sustainable development and widespread applications. In the present study, high-performance SMCs were fabricated by novel Fe_(74)B_(7)C_(7)P_(7)Si_(3)Mo_(1)Cr_(1) powders with spherical shape and a fully glassy structure, which were successfully prepared by a gas atomization method. The microstructure and high-frequency magnetic properties of these SMCs were studied in detail. To enhance the soft ferromagnetism, the effects of annealing temperature(T_a) and powder size on their performance were clarified. Increasing T_a up to 703 K not only helps to effectively release internal stress in the powders, but also improves the integrity of the insulation layer structure, which is conducive to decreasing the core loss. In addition, reducing the powder size contributes to the overall performance enhancement. Prepared from the powders with the smallest mean particle size and annealed at 703 K, the SMC exhibits optimum property combination of a stable effective permeability of 26.2 up to 1 MHz, a total core loss of 883 kW m^(–3)(100 kHz, 100 mT), and a DC-Bias performance of 79.3% under 100 Oe field, which is even comparable to those of the most prominent SMCs reported so far. These results are meaningful for potentially stimulating the development and application of new low-loss SMCs.

Effect of the chloride ion on advanced oxidation processes catalyzed by Fe-based metallic glass for wastewater treatment

Fe-based metallic glasses (Fe–MGs) are potential candidate catalysts for advanced oxidation processes(AOPs) for recalcitrant organic pollutant degradation. However, industrial wastewater and natural contaminated sites usually contain abundant inorganic ions, like the chloride ion (Cl−), which significantly affectAOPs, but their influence on MG-activated AOPs still remains unclear. Through the study of three commonly used oxidants, hydrogen peroxide (H_(2)O_(2)), peroxydisulfate (PDS), and peroxymonosulfate (PMS), theeffect of Cl− on the FeSiB-catalyzed process of degradation of the typical azo dye Orange Ⅱ was investigated. Evidence indicates that the addition of Cl− resulted in the monotonous inhibition of the degradation process when the H_(2)O_(2)/FeSiB and PDS/FeSiB systems were employed, but promoted effect wasdetected with the PMS/FeSiB system, which is different from the previously observed dual effect of Cl−.It is closely relative with FeSiB induced unique variety of degradation pathways, including radicals, nonradicals (^(1)O_(2)), and direct reduction degradation. Moreover, the presence of Cl− significantly affected thesystems’ absorbable organic halogen content and the amount of Fe leached into the solution. The resultsof this work will provide essential references for Fe-based MG used as AOP catalysts in field applicationsand the development of advanced MGs with excellent adaptability to complex environments.

Effect of cryogenic cycling on mechanical properties of ZrTiCuNiBe bulk metallic glass

The effect of deep cryogenic cycle treatment(DCT)on Zr_(41.2)Ti_(13.8)Cu_(12.5)Ni_(10)Be_(22.5)(Vit-1)bulk metallic glass(BMG)prepared from high-purity raw materials was investigated.After DCT,no obvious rejuvenation of the samples was detected.With an increasing number of cryogenic cycles,the hardness of the samples first decreased and then increased,the room-temperature compression plasticity first increased and then generally remained unchanged,and the impact toughness underwent almost no obvious change.The absence of rejuvenation was attributed to the high fragility index(47-50)and high glass forming ability(GFA)of the material.As lower purity of the raw materials is expected in practical applications,DCT of Vit-1 BMG prepared from low-purity raw materials was also performed.After DCT,the samples prepared with the lower-purity raw materials were clearly rejuvenated,and the room-temperature mechanical properties improved significantly.Both the compression plasticity and impact toughness reached peak values after 5 cryogenic cycles.The initial impurities(including Y and O)had a complex and comprehensive effect on the deformation mechanism of the BMG during DCT.Our findings indicate that the structural heterogeneity,fragility index,and GFA of the BMG alter the effect of DCT.