Evidence for enhanced ferromagnetism in an iron-based nanoglass

The possibility to synthesize bulk amorphous materials with an internal nanostructure - nanoglasses - leads to yet another class of materials potentially with modified properties. Here, evidence is presented that the nanoglass model system Fe₉₀Sc₁₀ exhibits enhanced magnetic properties: it is shown that this nanoglass (prepared by cold compaction of glassy nanospheres) is a ferromagnet at ambient temperature although the isolated nanospheres are paramagnetic. Structural studies reveal that it consists of glassy nanospheres connected by regions with reduced atomic density. The ferromagnetism is explained by the presence of such regions of low atomic density.