Structural and magnetic phase formation in nanophase brass—iron electron compounds

Starting with Cu0.65Zn0.35 with an e/a ratio of 1.35 we studied the phase formation in nanophase (Cu0.65Zn0.35)1−xFex alloys in the concentration range 0.1 ≤x ≤0.7 to see the effect of altering the electron concentration. The evolution of bcc phase from the fcc phase as a function of Fe concentration was investigated by Mossbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The grain size, lattice parameters, and average hyperfine magnetic field distributions were estimated for the nanophase alloys. The fcc phase was observed to persist up to 40 atomic per cent Fe substitutions, a mixed (fcc + bcc) phase region up to 70 atomic per cent Fe and bcc phase beyond 70 atomic per cent Fe. The magnetic state of the alloys changed from nonmagnetic forx ≤0.3 to magnetically ordered state at room temperature forx ≤0.33, which lies in the fcc phase region. The fcc phase alloys of Fe with non-magnetic metals have very low magnetic transition temperatures. However, in this system the room temperature state is unusually magnetic