X-Ray-Absorption Spectroscopy Study Of The Partial Devitrification Of Amorphous Ni80b20 And The Formation Of Amorphous Nickel

The devitrification of initially amorphous Ni80B20 has been studied by x-ray-absorption spectroscopy as a function of the annealing temperature. It is found that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the main absorption peak at approximate to 850 eV is sensitive to the degree of amorphization of the specimen. The initial FWHM of 2.51 eV for the homogeneous amorphous Ni80B20 decreases to a value of 2.12 eV for the crystalline final mixture of Ni and Ni3B. In an intermediate, partially devitrified state, a FWHM of 2.30 eV is measured, which supports an earlier identification of pure amorphous nickel.