Glass-Forming Ability, Mechanical Properties, and Energetic Characteristics of ZrCuNiAlNbHfY Bulk Metallic Glasses.

The effects of partially substituting Al for Cu in Zr59.62Cu18.4-xNi12Al6+xNb3Hf0.78Y0.2 (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 at.%) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) on their glass-forming ability (GFA), quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties, and energy characteristics were investigated. The results showed that an appropriate substitution of Al for Cu can improve GFA and reach a critical casting size up to 10 mm. Additionally, with Al replacement of Cu, the change in the distribution and content of free volume inside the BMGs was the main reason for the quasi-static compression plasticity. In contrast, the BMGs exhibited no plasticity during dynamic compression and high-speed impact, owing to the short loading time and thermal softening effect. In terms of energy characteristics, all alloys have a high combustion enthalpy. And on the surface of the fragments collected from impact, the active elements Zr, Al, and Nb reacted because of the adiabatic temperature rise. Further, x = 4 at.% Zr-based BMG with its superior overall performance could penetrate a 6 mm Q235 plate at a speed of 1038 m/s, combining excellent mechanical properties and energy characteristics. This study contributes to the development of Zr-based BMGs as novel energetic structural materials.

Surface Modification of Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 Bulk Metallic Glass through Glow Discharge Plasma Nitriding.

Bulk metallic glasses are modern engineering materials with unique functional properties. Zr-based alloys are particularly attractive as they exhibit high glass forming ability as well as good mechanical properties. Due to their relatively high thermal stability, reaching as much as 400 °C, they can be surface-treated in low-temperature plasma to further improve their mechanical properties. The subject of this study was to determine the influence of the technological parameters of nitriding in low-temperature plasma on the structure and mechanical properties of Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 bulk metallic glass. In the course of this study, the influence of the ion accelerating voltage on the structure and micromechanical properties of the bulk metallic glass was analyzed. The produced samples were characterized in terms of nanohardness, layer adhesion by using the scratch test, and wear resistance by using the ball-on-disc method. As a result of low-temperature plasma nitriding, a significant increase in the surface nanohardness of the Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 bulk metallic glass was obtained. The produced layers exhibited high adhesion to the substrate and they improved the wear resistance of the glass. The present study indicates the possibility of modifying the surface properties of bulk metallic glasses by using diffusion processes in low-temperature plasma without substrate crystallization.

Machine learning-guided exploration and experimental assessment of unreported compositions in the quaternary Ti-Zr-Cu-Pd biocompatible metallic glass system.

Due to their outstanding elastic limit, biocompatible Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are candidate materials to decrease the size of medical implants and therefore reduce their invasiveness. However, the practical use of classical Ti-BMGs in medical applications is in part hindered by their high copper content: more effort is thus required to design low-copper Ti-BMGs. In this work, in line with current rise in AI-driven tools, machine learning (ML) approaches, a neural-network ML model is used to explore the glass-forming ability (GFA) of unreported low-copper compositions within the biocompatible Ti-Zr-Cu-Pd system. Two types of models are trained and compared: one based on the alloy composition only, and a second based on various features derived from the alloying elements. Contrary to expectation, the predictive power of both models in evaluating GFA is similar. The compositional space identified by ML as promising is experimentally assessed, finding unfortunately low GFA. These results indicate that the ML approach may be premature for specific composition tuning of amorphous metallic materials. We emphasise that the development of ML tools in GFA prediction requires an improvement of the dataset, in terms of homogeneity, size and GFA descriptors, which must be supported by increased reporting of high-quality experimental GFA measurements, both positive and negative. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Biocompatible Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are candidate materials for use in the next generation of minimally invasive dental implants where improved mechanical properties, such as high strength are required. Despite promising in vitro/vivo evaluations, implementation of alloys for practical applications is partly hindered by the presence of copper as the main alloying element. Recent studies have presented AI-guided and machine learning strategies as appealing approaches to understand and describe the glass forming ability (GFA) of BMG-forming compositions. In this work, we employ and evaluate the capacity of a machine-learning model to explore low-copper compositional spaces in the biocompatible Ti-Zr-Cu-Pd system. Our results highlight the limits of such a computational approach and suggest improvements for future designing routes.

Fabrication of Dimples by Jet-ECM of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses with NaCl-Ethylene Glycol Electrolyte.

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) possess unique mechanical and biochemical properties, which have been widely noticed. Jet electrochemical machining (jet-ECM), characterized by a high-speed jet, is a non-contact subtractive method with a high resolution and a high material removal rate (MRR). Past work on the electropolishing of Zr-based BMGs has indicated the feasibility of the NaCl-Ethylene Glycol (EG) electrolyte. In this research, the jet-ECM of Zr-based BMGs in the NaCl-EG electrolyte was studied to explore the dissolving mechanisms and surface integrity according to the voltage, pulse-on time and effective voltage time. The diameter, depth and surface morphologies of dimples were evaluated. The results showed that using this alcohol-based electrolyte led to a desirable surface morphology. The diameter and depth of the dimples varied with the voltage and the effective voltage time in a significantly positive proportional manner. Additionally, cases based on multiple parameter sets exhibited different stray corrosion severity. Afterward, machining performance can be enhanced in the next stage by tuning machining parameters to obtain microscale dimples with better quality.

An Investigation in Sub-Millimeter Channel Fabrication by the Non-Aqueous Electrolyte Jet Machining of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses.

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have many unique properties. Due to their excellent performance and manufacturing process, they have become a research focus in the material science community. Electrolyte Jet Machining (EJM) is a non-contact electrochemical processing method with high surface integrity and high material removal rate (MRR). In this research, the sub-millimeter channels fabricated by EJM on Zr-based BMGs have been studied to explore the dissolution mechanisms and surface integrity under different scanning rates and voltages. The results show that, with other machining parameters holding constant, an increase in voltage leads to a substantial enhancement in both the depth and width of the channels machined on Zr-based BMGs. Notably, the influence of voltage on the depth of the channels is particularly pronounced. Additionally, an escalation in scanning rate correlates with a decrease in channel depth, with minimal variation in channel width. This study indicates that alcohol-based EJM is an effective method to fabricate sub-millimeter channels and modulate structures on Zr-based BMGs.

Mechanical Properties of Bulk Metallic Glasses Additively Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A Review.

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) display excellent strength, high hardness, exceptional wear resistance and corrosion resistance owing to its amorphous structure. However, the manufacturing of large-sized and complex shaped BMG parts faces significant difficulties, which seriously hinders their applications. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a typical additive manufacturing (AM) technique with a cooling rate of up to 108 K/s, which not only allows for the formation of amorphous structures but also solves the forming problem of complex-shaped BMG parts. In recent years, a large amount of work has been carried out on the LPBF processing of BMGs. This review mainly summarizes the latest progress in the field of LPBF additively manufactured BMGs focusing on their mechanical properties. We first briefly review the BMG alloy systems that have been additively manufactured using LPBF, then the mechanical properties of LPBF-fabricated BMGs including the micro- and nano-hardness, micropillar compressive performance, and macro-compressive and tensile performance are clarified. Next, the relationship between the mechanical properties and microstructure of BMGs produced via LPBF are analyzed. Finally, the measures for improving the mechanical properties of LPBF-fabricated BMGs are discussed. This review can provide readers with an essential comprehension of the structural and mechanical properties of LPBF-manufactured BMGs.

Nanoscale Clustering in an Additively Manufactured Zr-Based Metallic Glass Evaluated by Atom Probe Tomography.

Composition analysis at the nm-scale, marking the onset of clustering in bulk metallic glasses, can aid the understanding and further optimization of additive manufacturing processes. By atom probe tomography, it is challenging to differentiate nm-scale segregations from random fluctuations. This ambiguity is due to the limited spatial resolution and detection efficiency. Cu and Zr were selected as model systems since the spatial distributions of the isotopes therein constitute ideal solid solutions, as the mixing enthalpy is, by definition, zero. Close agreement is observed between the simulated and measured spatial distributions of the isotopes. Having established the signature of a random distribution of atoms, the elemental distribution in amorphous Zr59.3Cu28.8Al10.4Nb1.5 samples fabricated by laser powder bed fusion is analyzed. By comparison with the length scales of spatial isotope distributions, the probed volume of the bulk metallic glass shows a random distribution of all constitutional elements, and no evidence for clustering is observed. However, heat-treated metallic glass samples clearly exhibit elemental segregation which increases in size with annealing time. Segregations in Zr59.3Cu28.8Al10.4Nb1.5 > 1 nm can be observed and separated from random fluctuations, while accurate determination of segregations < 1 nm in size are limited by spatial resolution and detection efficiency.

Applicability of Pre-Plastic Deformation Method for Improving Mechanical Properties of Bulk Metallic Glasses.

Pre-plastic deformation (PPD) treatments on bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have previously been shown to be helpful in producing multiple shear bands. In this work, the applicability of the PPD approach on BMGs with different Poisson's ratios was validated based on experimental and simulation observations. It was found that for BMGs with high Poisson's ratios (HBMGs, e.g., Zr56Co28Al16 and Zr46Cu46Al8), the PPD treatment can easily trigger a pair of large plastic deformation zones consisting of multiple shear bands. These PPD-treated HBMGs clearly display improved strength and compressive plasticity. On the other hand, the mechanical properties of BMGs with low Poisson's ratios (LBMG, e.g., Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6) become worse due to a few shear bands and micro-cracks in extremely small plastic deformation zones. Additionally, for the PPD-treated HBMGs with similar high Poisson's ratios, the Zr56Co28Al16 BMG exhibits much larger plasticity than the Zr46Cu46Al8 BMG. This phenomenon is mainly due to more defective icosahedral clusters in the Zr56Co28Al16 BMG, which can serve as nucleation sites for shear transformation zones (STZs) during subsequent deformation. The present study may provide a basis for understanding the plastic deformation mechanism of BMGs.

Cavity nucleation in single-component homogeneous amorphous solids under negative pressure.

Understanding the cavity formation and cavity growth mechanisms in solids has fundamental and applied importance for the correct determination of their exploitation capabilities and mechanical characteristics. In this work, we present the molecular dynamics simulation results for the process of homogeneous formation of nanosized cavities in a single-component amorphous metallic alloy. To identify cavities of various shapes and sizes, an original method has been developed, which is based on filling cavities by virtual particles (balls) of the same diameter. By means of the mean first-passage time analysis, it was shown that the cavity formation in an amorphous metallic melt is the activation-type process. This process can be described in terms of the classical nucleation theory, which is usually applied to the case of first order phase transitions. Activation energy, critical size and nucleation rate of cavities are calculated, the values of which are comparable with those for the case of crystal nucleation in amorphous systems.

Atomic structure of an FeCrMoCBY metallic glass revealed by high energy x-ray diffraction.

Amorphous bulk metallic glasses with the composition Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2have been of interest due to their special mechanical and electronic properties, including corrosion resistance, high yield-strength, large elasticity, catalytic performance, and soft ferromagnetism. Here, we apply a reverse Monte Carlo technique to unravel the atomic structure of these glasses. The pair-distribution functions for various atomic pairs are computed based on the high-energy x-ray diffraction data we have taken from an amorphous sample. Monte Carlo cycles are used to move the atomic positions until the model reproduces the experimental pair-distribution function. The resulting fitted model is consistent with ourab initiosimulations of the metallic glass. Our study contributes to the understanding of functional properties of Fe-based bulk metallic glasses driven by disorder effects.

Study of Bulk Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Alloys Fabricated by High-Sphericity Fe84Si7B5C2Cr2 Amorphous Powders at Different Spark-Plasma-Sintering Temperatures.

The new generation of high-frequency and high-efficiency motors has high demands on the soft magnetic properties, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of its core materials. Bulk amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys not only meet its performance requirements but also conform to the current technical concept of integrated forming. At present, spark plasma sintering (SPS) is expected to break through the cooling-capacity limitation of traditional casting technology with high possibility to fabricate bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). In this study, Fe84Si7B5C2Cr2 soft magnetic amorphous powders with high sphericity were prepared by a new atomization technology, and its characteristic temperature was measured by DSC to determine the SPS temperature. The SEM, XRD, VSM and universal testing machine were used to analyze the compacts at different sintering temperatures. The results show that the powders cannot be consolidated by cold pressing (50 and 500 MPa) or SPS temperature below 753 K (glass transition temperature Tg = 767 K), and the tap density is only 4.46 g·cm-3. When SPS temperature reached above 773 K, however, the compact could be prepared smoothly, and the density, saturation magnetization, coercivity and compressive strength of the compacts increased with the elevated sintering temperature. In addition, due to superheating, crystallization occurred even when the sintering temperature was lower than 829 K (with the first crystallization onset temperature being Tx1 = 829 K). The compact was almost completely crystallized at 813 K, resulting in a sharp increase in the coercivity of the compact from 55.55 A·m-1 at 793 K to 443.17 A·m-1. It is noted that the nanocrystals kept growing in size as the temperature increased to 833 K, which increased the coercivity remarkably but showed an enhanced saturation magnetization.

Ultrashort Sintering and Near Net Shaping of Zr-Based AMZ4 Bulk Metallic Glass.

The GeniCore Upgraded Field Assisted Sintering Technology U-FAST was applied to the sintering of a commercial Zr-based bulk metallic glass powder AMZ4. The XRD, SEM and DSC analysis of the sintered compacts showed the benefit of the U-FAST method as an enabler for the production of fully amorphous samples with 100% relative density when sintering at 420 °C/480 s (693 K/480 s) and 440 °C/ 60 s (713 K/480 s). The hardness values for fully amorphous samples, over HV1 519, surpass cast materials and 1625 MPa compressive strengths are comparable to commercial cast products. The advantage of the U-FAST technology in this work is attributed to the high heating and cooling rates inherent to ultra-short pulses, which allow to maintain metastable structures and achieve better temperature control during the process. Increasing sintering temperature and time led to the crystallization of the materials. The geometry and material of the dies and punch determine the thermal inertia and pressure distribution inside the compacts, thus affecting the properties of the near net shape NNS compacts made using the U-FAST device.

Ni self-diffusion in glass forming Pd-Ni-S melts.

The Ni self-diffusion in glass forming Pd40Ni40S20, Pd37Ni37S26and Pd31Ni42S27melts was probed by incoherent, quasielastic neutron scattering over a temperature range between 773 and 1023 K. The Ni self-diffusion coefficients are on a 10-10 m2 s-1-10-9 m2 s-1scale and barely change with composition. Each composition exhibits an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence of the Ni self-diffusion coefficients, which results in activation energies ranging fromEA= 348 ± 16 meV for Pd40Ni40S20toEA= 387 ± 6 meV for Pd37Ni37S26. The structural relaxation shows a stretched exponential behavior even far above the liquidus temperatures. In addition, the viscosity of the Pd37Ni37S26melt was measured under reduced gravity conditions. The diffusion calculated from the viscosity reveals a significant deviation from the measured Ni self-diffusion by a factor between 4 and 8. This may indicate a dynamic decoupling between the atoms within the Pd-Ni-S equilibrium melts.

Toughening materials: enhancing resistance to fracture.

It has been said that 'God invented plasticity, but the Devil invented fracture!' Both mechanisms represent the two prime modes of structural failure, respectively, plastic collapse and the rupture/breaking of a component, but the concept of developing materials with enhanced resistance to fracture can be difficult. This is because fracture resistance invariably involves a compromise-between strength and ductility, between strength and toughness-fundamentally leading to a 'conflict' between nano-/micro-structural damage and the mechanisms of toughening. Here, we examine the two major classes of such toughening: (i) intrinsic toughening, which occurs ahead of a crack tip and is motivated by plasticity-this is the principal mode of fracture resistance in ductile materials, and (ii) extrinsic toughening, which occurs at, or in the wake of, a crack tip and is associated with crack-tip shielding-this is generally the sole mode of fracture resistance in brittle materials. We briefly examine how these distinct mechanistic processes have been used to toughen synthetic materials-intrinsically in gradient materials and in multiple principal-element metallic alloys with the example of metallic glasses and high-entropy alloys, and extrinsically in ceramics with the example of ceramic-matrix composites-in comparison to Nature which has been especially adept in creating biological/natural materials which are toughened by one or both mechanistic classes, despite often consisting of constituents with meagre mechanical properties. The success of Nature has been driven by its ability to cultivate the development of materials with multiple length-scale hierarchical structures that display ingenious gradients and structural adaptability, a philosophy which we need to emulate and more importantly learn to synthesize to make structural materials of the future with unprecedented combinations of mechanical properties. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'A cracking approach to inventing new tough materials: fracture stranger than friction'.

Biocompatibility of platinum-based bulk metallic glass in orthopedic applications.

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a class of amorphous metals that exhibit high strength, ductility paired with wear and corrosion resistance. These properties suggest that they could serve as an alternative to conventional metallic implants that suffer wear and failure. In the present study, we investigated Platinum (Pt)-BMG biocompatibility in bone applications. Specifically, we investigated osteoclast formation on flat and nanopatterned Pt57.5Cu14.7Ni5.3P22.5(atomic percent) as well as titanium (control). Specifically, receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) ligand-induced murine bone marrow derived mononuclear cell fusion was measured on multiple nanopatterns and was found to be reduced on nanorods (80 and 200 nm in diameter) and was associated with reduced tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9) expression. Evaluation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) to osteoblast differentiation on nanopatterned Pt-BMG showed significant reduction in comparison to flat, suggesting that further exploration of nanopatterns is required to have simultaneous induction of osteoblasts and inhibition of osteoclasts.Invivo studies were also pursued to evaluate the biocompatibility of Pt-BMG in comparison to titanium. Rods of each material were implanted in the femurs of mice and evaluated by x-ray, mechanical testing, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and histological analysis. Overall, Pt-BMG showed similar biocompatibility with titanium suggesting that it has the potential to improve outcomes by further processing at the nanoscale.

Unveiling the Local Atomic Arrangements in the Shear Band Regions of Metallic Glass.

The prospective applications of metallic glasses are limited by their lack of ductility, attributed to shear banding inducing catastrophic failure. A concise depiction of the local atomic arrangement (local atomic packing and chemical short-range order), induced by shear banding, is quintessential to understand the deformation mechanism, however still not clear. An explicit view of the complex interplay of local atomic structure and chemical environment is presented by mapping the atomic arrangements in shear bands (SBs) and in their vicinity in a deformed Vitreloy 105 metallic glass, using the scanning electron diffraction pair distribution function and atom probe tomography. The results experimentally prove that plastic deformation causes a reduction of geometrically favored polyhedral motifs. Localized motifs variations and antisymmetric (bond and chemical) segregation extend for several hundred nanometers from the SB, forming the shear band affected zones. Moreover, the variations within the SB are found both perpendicular and parallel to the SB plane, also observable in the oxidation activity. The knowledge of the structural-chemical changes provides a deeper understanding of the plastic deformation of metallic glasses especially for their functional applications and future improvements.

Production, Mechanical Properties and Biomedical Characterization of ZrTi-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses in Comparison with 316L Stainless Steel and Ti6Al4V Alloy.

Microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility were studied for rapidly cooled 3 mm rods of Zr40Ti15Cu10Ni10Be25, Zr50Ti5Cu10Ni10Be25, and Zr40Ti15Cu10Ni5Si5Be25 (at.%) alloys, as well as for the reference 316L stainless steel and Ti-based Ti6Al4V alloy. Microstructure investigations confirm that Zr-based bulk metallic samples exhibit a glassy structure with minor fractions of crystalline phases. The nanoindentation tests carried out for all investigated composite materials allowed us to determine the mechanical parameters of individual phases observed in the samples. The instrumental hardness and elastic to total deformation energy ratio for every single phase observed in the manufactured Zr-based materials are higher than for the reference materials (316L stainless steel and Ti6Al4V alloy). A scratch tester used to determine the wear behavior of manufactured samples and reference materials revealed the effect of microstructure on mechanical parameters such as residual depth, friction force, and coefficient of friction. Electrochemical investigations in simulated body fluid performed up to 120 h show better or comparable corrosion resistance of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses in comparison with 316L stainless steel and Ti6Al4V alloy. The fibroblasts viability studies confirm the good biocompatibility of the produced materials. All obtained results show that fabricated biocompatible Zr-based materials are promising candidates for biomedical implants that require enhanced mechanical properties.

Rejuvenation of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses by Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Elastic Deformation.

The rejuvenation of Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) by ultrasonic vibration-assisted elastic deformation (UVEF) was studied herein. The UVEF-treated samples demonstrate an obvious rejuvenation and have a higher relaxation enthalpy and a smaller range of supercooled liquid regions than the as-cast samples. The fracture of the rejuvenated amorphous alloy is mainly ductile fracture, and shear deformation occurs in the deformation region. It is also found that as the amplitude increases, the free volume of the rejuvenated amorphous alloy increases, the yield strength and the elastic modulus decrease, and the formability increases. The free-volume content is used to characterize the degree of rejuvenation, and a mathematical model of the relationship between the ultrasonic amplitude and free volume is established. In addition, it is found that the ultrasonic vibration stress induces the additional free volume in the Zr-based bulk metallic glasses and improves the plasticizing behavior. The temperature rise caused by the ultrasonic thermal effect does not induce additional free volume.

Isokinetic Analysis of Fe41Co7Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6 Bulk Metallic Glass: Effect of Minor Copper Addition.

In the present study, (Fe41Co7Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6)100-xCux (x = 0, 0.25 and 0.5 at.%) amorphous alloys were prepared by copper-mold casting. To clarify the effect of the minor addition of copper on the mechanism of nucleation and growth during the crystallization process, an isokinetic analysis was performed. The activation energies (E) of the various crystallization stages were calculated by using theoretical models including Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Augis-Bennett and Gao-Wang methods. In addition, Augis-Bennett, Gao-Wang and Matusita methods were used to investigate the nucleation and growth mechanisms and to determine other kinetic parameters including Avrami exponent (n), the rate constant (Kp) and dimensionality of growth (m). The obtained results revealed that the activation energy-as well as thermal stability-was changed with minor addition of copper. In addition, the obtained Avrami exponent values were confirmed by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) method. The research findings demonstrated that the value of Avrami exponent is changed with minor addition of copper, so that the Avrami exponents of all crystallization stages, except the second peak for copper-free amorphous alloy, were equal to integer values ranging from two to four, indicating that the growth mechanisms were controlled by interface. Moreover, the kinetic parameters of n and b for all peaks were increased by an increase in crystallization temperature, which can be attributed to the increase in the nucleation rate.

Structural and Magnetic Studies of Bulk Nanocomposite Magnets Derived from Rapidly Solidified Pr-(Fe,Co)-(Zr,Nb)-B Alloy.

In the present study, the phase constitution, microstructure and magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline magnets, derived from fully amorphous or partially crystalline samples by annealing, were analyzed and compared. The melt-spun ribbons (with a thickness of ~30 µm) and suction-cast 0.5 mm and 1 mm thick plates of the Pr9Fe50Co13Zr1Nb4B23 alloy were soft magnetic in the as-cast state. In order to modify their magnetic properties, the annealing process was carried out at various temperatures from 923K to 1033K for 5 min. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns combined with the partial or no known crystal structures (PONKCS) method allowed one to quantify the component phases and calculate their crystalline grain sizes. It was shown that the volume fraction of constituent phases and their crystallite sizes for the samples annealed at a particular temperature, dependent on the rapid solidification conditions, and thus a presence or absence of the crystallization nuclei in the as-cast state. Additionally, a thermomagnetic analysis was used as a complementary method to confirm the phase constitution. The hysteresis loops have shown that most of the samples exhibit a remanence enhancement typical for the soft/hard magnetic nanocomposite. Moreover, for the plates annealed at the lowest temperatures, the highest coercivities up to ~1150 kA/m were measured.