Effect of gradual Cu replacement by Ni in mechanically alloyed Cu _50−x Co ₅₀ Ni _x nanocrystalline

Nanocrystalline Cu _50−x Co ₅₀ Ni _x (x = 2, 5, 10 and 20 at%) alloys were synthesized by high-energy ball milling for 40 h to investigate the effects of gradual nonmagnetic Cu substitution by magnetic Ni on structural and thermal properties and their consequence effect on magnetic properties. Microstructural characterization suggests evolution of nanostructured Cu-based supersaturated solid solution. Differential scanning calorimetry results reveal that the alloys are stable up to 380°C. Magnetic properties investigated through vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) show that all the alloyed powders are of soft magnetic nature (narrow hysteresis loop with low coercivity values), thus, suitable for soft magnetic applications. However, surprisingly, no significant effect of nonmagnetic Cu substitution by magnetic Ni or any trend in the magnetic property is observed.