A stability study of the icosahedral incommensurate ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{60}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{40}$ phase formed directly by ion mixing at room temperature indicates that this metastable phase is unstable against thermal annealing to 300±25 °C, but annealing to the higher temperature (800±25 °C) reestablished the icosahedral order. The changes of the magnetic properties associated with the icosahedral phase formation are also presented.

• Received 17 May 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.41.9523