Mossbauer investigation of Fe-Ni fine particles

Fine particles about 20 nm in average diameter of Fe1-xNix (x = 0.10-0.85) alloys prepared by evaporation in nitrogen atmosphere were studied using Mo ssbauer technique, x-ray diffraction, and magnetic measurement. Their diffe rent phases were identified, and their hyperfine field distribution, specif ic saturation magnetization, remnant magnetization, and coercivity were det ermined. The fine particles show some properties, which are sensitive to th e Ni content x and different from those of corresponding bulk alloys. The r esults suggest that the fine particles may be useful from an applied viewpo int. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)04702-7].