Magnetic and structural changes in Cu90Co10 during the annealing process

Metastable Cu90Co10 alloys produced by the rapid quenching method have been annealed at increasing temperatures to investigate the changes induced in the magnetic properties and the microstructure. High-resolution X-ray diffr action and ferromagnetic resonance experiments have been used for this purp ose. The results from both techniques reveal the transformation of the meta stable Cu-Co phase and the appearance of Co-rich precipitates embedded in t he Cu-Co matrix. These changes are consistent with the behaviour of the gia nt magnetoresistance found in this system. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.