The magnetic structure of Fe0.91Zr0.09 metallic glass

Models of the atomic and magnetic structures of Fe0.91Zr0.09 metallic glass have been produced by RMC modelling of neutron diffraction and x-ray diffr action data at temperatures between 10 and 300 K. The magnetic structure at all T is predominantly ferromagnetic but a weak peak in the neutron struct ure factor at 1.2 Angstrom(-1) is identified as being due to magnetic 'defe cts'. It is found that the average local density of Fe atoms around these d efects tends to be higher than around 'normal' moments. This supports the i dea of magnetic frustration in such systems due to competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions. Assuming that Fe and Zr substitute isom orphously in Fe1-xZrx glasses, and that Fe moments with more than 12 neighb ouring Fe atoms behave antiferromagnetically, the composition dependence of the magnetic phase diagram can be explained on the basis of the RMC struct ural model for Fe0.91Zr0.09 glass.