ABSTRACTThe first stages of the nano-crystallization process of amorphous Fe75.5Cu1Nb3Si12.5B8 into a nano-crystalline structure are investigated by the positron annihilation lifetime technique. Samples have been isothermally annealed at 643 K for times varying between 600 and 105 seconds. The positron lifetime spectra have been analyzed allowing for three lifetimes. The shortest and the longest lifetime, τ1 = 150 ± 2 ps and τ3 = 1500–2000 ps respectively, are attributed to annihilation of positrons in the amorphous phase and to the formation and annihilation of ortho-positronium at the surface of the stacked foils and did not change significantly upon the annealing. The intermediate positron lifetime τ2 increased from 324 ps to 387 ps. The intensity of this component increased from 5 to 15%. Comparison with resistivity measurements indicates that the change of this lifetime component occurs at an early stage in the crystallisation process, i.e. when the fraction of crystalline material is on the order of 10−3. The increase of τ2 is attributed to positrons annihilating in a region with lower average density surrounding the small crystallite.
Potential for biomedical applications of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS)
