Softening, nanostructures

Two major alloy systems in the family of soft magnetic nanostructures are Fe-Si-B-Nb-Cu [1, 4-6] and Fe-M-B-(Cu) (M= Zr, Hf or Nb) [3, 7-9], commercially known as FINEMET (or VITROPERM) and NANOPERM, respectively. They are produced by primary crystallization of amorphous ribbons. Hence, the nanostructural formation upon crystallization as well as the mechanism of magnetic softening has been actively studied for these two... 

Fig. 97 Nanostructures in the laser-softened triazene polymer. The structuring was performed by moving the AFM tip from the upper part downwards. The image was taken in the noncontact mode of the same AFM instrument...

Nanostructuring of designed polymers and of a model compound was achieved by light force (SNOM) and mechanical manipulation (AFM). The latter process was carried out in combination with low-fluence laser irradiation to activate (soften) the polymer for mechanical structuring. 

The process of phonon scattering contributes less to the intrinsic vibratiorc Atomic undercoordination softens the optical phonons of nanostructures. Intergrain interaction results in emerging of the low-frequency phonons whose frequency undergoes blueshift with reduction in solid size. 

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