MORPHOLOGY OF SURFACE CRYSTALLITES ON AMORPHOUS FE87ZR7B5CU1

Surface crystallites a few tens of nanometres in breadth have been obs erved on the as-melt-spun surface of an alloy of composition Fe87Zr7B6 Cu1. These crystallites are preferentially oriented, and exhibit a (20 0) texture. Heat treatments at temperatures in the interval 623-773 de grees C caused the surface grains to coarsen and new, randomly oriente d crystals to form. Compositional inhomogeneities were found to contri bute to the formation of the surface crystallites. Results suggest tha t surface energy effects are more important during the nucleation of c rystallites in the liquid than they are below the glass transition tem perature.