Multi-phase field simulation of grain growth in multiple phase transformations of a binary alloy

This work establishes a temperature-controlled sequence function, and a new multi-phase-field model, for liquid–solid–solid multi-phase transformation by coupling the liquid–solid phase transformation model with the solid–solid phase transformation model. Taking an Fe–C alloy as an example, the continuous evolution of a multi-phase transformation is simulated by using this new model. In addition, the growth of grains affected by the grain orientation of the parent phase(generated in liquid–solid phase transformation) in the solid–solid phase transformation is studied. The results show that the morphology of ferrite grains which nucleate at the boundaries of the austenite grains is influenced by the orientation of the parent austenite grains. The growth rate of ferrite grains which nucleate at small-angle austenite grain boundaries is faster than those that nucleate at large-angle austenite grain boundaries. The difference of the growth rate of ferrites grains in different parent phase that nucleate at large-angle austenite grain boundaries, on both sides of the boundaries, is greater than that of ferrites nucleating at small-angle austenite grain boundaries.     

Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties and hyperfine interactions of Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B nanocomposites

The Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B alloy nanocomposite containing two ferromagnetic phases(amorphous phase and nanophase phase) is obtained by properly annealing the as-prepared alloys. High resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) images show the coexistence of these two phases. It is found that Fe–Si nanograins are surrounded by the retained amorphous ferromagnetic phase. M¨ossbauer spectroscopy measurements show that the nanophase is the D03-type Fe–Si phase, which is employed to find the atomic fractions of resonant57 Fe atoms in these two phases. The microwave permittivity and permeability spectra of Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B nanocomposite are measured in the frequency range of 0.5 GHz–10 GHz. Large relative microwave permeability values are obtained. The results show that the absorber containing the nanocomposite flakes with a volume fraction of 28.59% exhibits good microwave absorption properties. The reflection loss of the absorber is less than-10 dB in a frequency band of 1.93 GHz–3.20 GHz.     

Effects of terbium sulfide addition on magnetic properties,microstructure and thermal stability of sintered Nd-Fe--B magnets

To increase coercivity and thermal stability of sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets for high-temperature applications, a novel terbium sulfide powder is added into(Pr_(0.25)Nd_(0.75))_(30.6)Cu_(0.15)Fe_(bal)B_1(wt.%) basic magnets. The effects of the addition of terbium sulfide on magnetic properties, microstructure, and thermal stability of sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets are investigated.The experimental results show that by adding 3 wt.% Tb_2S_3, the coercivity of the magnet is remarkably increased by about 54% without a considerable reduction in remanence and maximum energy product. By means of the electron probe microanalyzer(EPMA) technology, it is observed that Tb is mainly present in the outer region of 2:14:1 matrix grains and forms a well-developed Tb-shell phase, resulting in enhancement of HA, which accounts for the coercivity enhancement.Moreover, compared with Tb_2S_3-free magnets, the reversible temperature coefficients of remanence(α) and coercivity(β) and the irreversible flux loss of magnetic flow(hirr) values of Tb_2S_3-added magnets are improved, indicating that the thermal stability of the magnets is also effectively improved.     

Effects of post-sinter annealing on microstructure and magnetic properties of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets with Nd–Ga intergranular addition

We investigate the effects of post-sinter annealing on the microstructure and magnetic properties in B-lean Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets with different quantities of Nd–Ga intergranular additions. The magnet with fewer Nd–Ga additions can enhance 0.2 T in coercivity, with its remanences nearly unchanged after annealing. With the further increase of the Nd–Ga addition, the annealing process leads coercivity to increase 0.4 T, accompanied by a slight decrease of remanence. With the Nd–Ga addition further increasing and after annealing, however, the increase of coercivity is basically constant and the change of remanence is reduced. Microstructure observation indicates that the matrix grains are covered by continuous thin grain boundary phase in the magnets with an appropriate Nd–Ga concentration after the annealing process. However, the exceeding Nd–Ga addition brings out notable segregation of grain boundary phase, and prior formation of part RE6 Fe13 Ga phase in the sintered magnet. This prior formation results in a weaker change of remanence after the annealing process.Therefore, the diverse changes of magnetic properties with different Nd–Ga concentrations are based on the respective evolution of grain boundary after the annealing process.     

Magnetic properties of misch-metal partially substituted Nd–Fe–B magnets sintered by dual alloy method

The misch-metal(MM) partially substituted Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets were fabricated by the dual alloy method,and the crystal structure, microstructure, and magnetic properties were analyzed comprehensively. X-ray diffraction(XRD)reveals that the increasing content of the MM has an inconsiderable effect on the crystallographic alignment of the magnets.Grains of the two main phases are uniformly distributed, and slightly deteriorate on the grain boundary. Due to the diffusion between the adjacent grains, the MM substituted Nd–Fe–B magnets contain three types of components with different Ce/La concentrations. Moreover, the first-order reversal curve(FORC) diagram is introduced to analyze the magnetization reversal process, coercivity mechanism, and distribution of reversal field in magnetic samples. The analysis indicates that there are two major reversal components, corresponding to the two different main phases. The domain nucleation and growth are determined to be the leading mechanism in controlling the magnetization reversal processes of the magnets sintered by the dual alloy method.     

Characteristics of grain growth of microarc oxidation coatings on pure titanium

Grainy titania coatings are prepared by microarc oxidation on pure titanium （TA2） substrates in a Na2SiO3NaF electrolytic solution. The coating thickness is measured by an optical microscope with a CCD camera. Scanning electron microscope （SEM） and x-ray diffraction （XRD） are employed to characterize the microstructure and phase composition of coatings. The results show that the coating thickness increases linearly as the treatment time increases. The coatings are mainly composed of anatase and rutile （TiO2）. With the increase of treatment time, the predominant phase composition varies from anatase to rutile, which indicates that phase transformation of anatase into rutile occurs in the oxidizing process. Meanwhile, the size of grains existing on the coating surface increases and thus the surface becomes much coarser.     

Study of nanocrystalline Fe－Al－N soft magnetic thin films

Fe－Al－N films were fabricated by reactive sputtering using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The effects of Al and N content and annealing temperature on microstructure and magnetic properties were investigated. The Fe－Al－N films, which have good soft magnetic properties, consist of nanocrystalline α-Fe grains and a small amount of other phases in the boundaries of α-Fe grains. The average α-Fe grain size is about 10－15nm. A slight amount of Fe－N and Al－N compounds precipitate in the boundaries of α-Fe grains and suppress their growth. Annealing improves the soft magnetic properties slightly by releasing the residual stress and reducing defects.     

Effective Anisotropy in Magnetically Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe Nanocomposite

Considering different contact situations of grains, we effective anisotropies of magnetically soft α-Fe grains, investigate the effects of exchange-coupling interaction on hard Nd2Fe14B grains and NdaFe14B/α-Fe nanocomposite. An expression of effective anisotropy suitable for different degrees of exchange-coupling between grains is presented. The calculation results show that the exchange-coupling interaction increases the average anisotropy of soft grains and decreases that of hard grains. The effective anisotropy of Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe nanocomposite decreases smoothly with decreasing grain size when the grain size is larger than 20 nm while it decreases dramaticaily with further decrease of the grain size. In order to maintain high coercivity in Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe nanoeomposite, the grain size should not be less than 20nm.     

Nanocrystallization behaviour of a ternary amorphous alloy during isothermal annealing： a Monte Carlo simulation

The nanocrystallization behaviour of Zr70Cu20Ni10 metallic glass during isothermal annealing is studied by employing a Monte Carlo simulation incorporating with a modified Ising model and a Q-state Potts model. Based on the simulated microstructure and differential scanning calorimetry curves, we find that the low crystal-amorphous interface energy of Ni plays an important role in the nanocrystallization of primary Zr2Ni. It is found that when T〈T1max （where T1max is the temperature with maximum nucleation rate）, the increase of temperature results in a larger growth rate and a much finer mierostrueture for the primary Zr2Ni, which accords with the microstructure evolution in ＂flash annealing＂. Finally, the Zr2Ni/Zr2Cu interface energy σG contributes to the pinning effect of the primary nano-sized Zr2Ni grains in the later formed normal Zr2Cu grains.     

Solute Distribution within Rapidly Grown Fe-Co Single Phase

Rapid growth of Fe-Co single phase is accomplished by rapid solidification in a drop tube. （Fe, Co） grains are refined with the decrease of alloy droplet diameters. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis indicates that microsegregation in （Fe, Co） single phase becomes lower with the reduction of droplet diameters. The experimental results with theoretical calculation reveal that the microsegregation is efficiently suppressed with the increase of undercooling. The free energies of intrinsic segregation for Fe-30 wt.%Co, Fe-40 wt.%Co and Fe-50 wt, %Co alloys are -47.17, -27.57 and -6.57 kJ/mol, respectively. The dependence of free energy of segregation on composition and undercooling has been deduced.     

Amorphous-crystalline dual-layer structures resulting from metastable liquid phase separation in （Fe50Co25B15Si10）80Cu20 melt-spun ribbons

（Fe50Co25B15Si10）80Cu20 ribbons are prepared by using the single-roller melt-spinning method. A dual-layer structure consisting of a （Fe, Co）-rich amorphous phase and a Cu-rich crystalline phase forms due to metastable liquid phase separation before solidification. The magnetic hysteresis loops of the as-quenched and annealed samples are measured at room temperature. It is indicated that the coercivity of the ribbon is almost zero in the as-quenched state. The crystallization leads to the increase of coercivity and decrease of saturation magnetization.     

Amorphous-crystalline dual-layer structures resulting from metastable liquid phase separation in(Fe₅₀Co₂₅B₁₅Si₁₀)₈₀Cu₂₀ melt-spun ribbons

(Fe50Co25B15Si10)80Cu20 ribbons are prepared by using the single-roller melt-spinning method.A dual-layer structure consisting of a(Fe,Co)-rich amorphous phase and a Cu-rich crystalline phase forms due to metastable liquid phase separation before solidification.The magnetic hysteresis loops of the as-quenched and annealed samples are measured at room temperature.It is indicated that the coercivity of the ribbon is almost zero in the as-quenched state.The crystallization leads to the increase of coercivity and decrease of saturation magnetization.     

Anomalous microstructure and magnetocaloric properties in off-stoichiometric La–Fe–Si and its hydride

In the present work we reported the phase formation, microstructure, magnetocaloric effect and hydrogenation behavior of La-rich La1.7Fe11.6Si1.4alloy. In this off-stoichiometric La(Fe,Si)13alloy, the Na Zn13-type La(Fe,Si)13matrix phase shows faceted grains, with the Cr5B3-type La5Si3 used as the secondary phase distributed intergranularly. Such a peculiar morphology quickly forms upon one day annealing. In La1.7Fe11.6Si1.4alloy, we have observed a significant field dependence of magnetostructural transition temperature(～ 6.3 K/T), resulting in a large and table-like entropy change(△S～ 18 J/kg·K in 2 T) over a broad temperature range(～ 10 K). Upon hydrogenation, the maximum value of △S keeps almost unchanged, while the Curie temperature increases up to 350 K. These results indicate that the investigated offstoichiometric La(Fe,Si)13alloy is a promising magnetic material for magnetic refrigerators.     

Structural Characteristics of Cerium Oxide Nanocrystals Prepared by the Microemulsion Method

The aim of this work is to investigate the microstructure development of erium oxide nanocrystal,prepared by the microemulsion process,as a function of annealing temperature in air.Combined with the HRTEM and the thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis in air.Combined withthe HRTEm and the thremogravimetric-differential thermal analysis(TG-DTA),the XRD patterns reveal that the sample annealed at 623 K is amorphous,and the formation of cerium oxide nanocrystal occurs above 773 K.The local structural and electronic properties in the nanocrystallization process are probed by X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) at the Ce L3 edge.It is found that the phase structure changes from triclinic to cubic (CeO2),and the electroic structure changes from Ce^3 to Ce^4 upon increasing the annealing temperature.     

Magnetic Microstructure of Sintered Nd-Fe-B Magnets Made from Casting Strips

The magnetic microstructures of two Dy-AI substituted sintered Nd-Fe-13 magnets with the different nominal compositions of Nd12.2Vy0.6Fe80.4Al0.7B6 (at.%) (composition-A,C-A) and Nd13.7Dy0.6Fe78.8Al0.7B6.2(at.%)(composition-B,C-13) prepared by strip casting technique have been revealed by using a magnetic force microscope. The magnetic properties of sintered C-B magnets are worse than that of C-A sintered magnets. In particular, the value of density products (BH)max for sintered C-A magnets is about 32% higher than that of C-B magnets, which is reflected by their quite different magnetic microstructures. We believe that for the C-B samples, the inappropriate composition and thus the redundant Nd2Fe17(B) phase of the casting strips make its final magnetic microstructures worse than the C-A, and then deteriorates the performance of the C-B magnets.     

Structural and Magnetic Properties of Nd（Fe,Mo）12Nx Compounds Produced by Strip-Casting Method

The strip casting （SC） technique is employed to fabricate Nd（Fe,Mo）12Nx magnets. The crystallographic structure, intrinsic and permanent magnetic properties, as well as the microstruetures of the compound are investigated. There are prominent advantages for the SC Nd-Fe-Mo ailoys and their nitrides when compared with the samples prepared by the conventional casting （CC） method： （1） SC technique rebounds to the formation of the compounds crystallizing in a ThMn12-type structure. A single-phased host alloy Nd（Fe,Mo）12 can be directly prepared by strip casting without any isothermal annealing. Accordingly, lower energy cost and less rare earth demand notablely benefit the manufacture processing from a point of economizing. （2） The intrinsic magnetic properties, such as Curie temperature To, saturation magnetization Ms and anisotropy field Ha of the SC sample exceed the CC sample due to a phase forming condition with less-Mo-depended. （3） The microstructure studies also demonstrate that the SC compound contains finer grains, better-proportioned phase distribution than the CC compound. Optimized finM particles are observed aligned in their easy axis and the energy product of powder sample is up to （BH）max - 22 MGOe （176 kJ/m3）.     

Reduction of Ordering Temperature of FePt-Al2O3 Thin Films by N2 Addition During Sputtering

We investigate the effect of N2 addition during sputtering on the microstructure and magnetic properties of FePt-Al2O3 thin films. The texture of FePt phase in FePt-Al2O3 thin films changes from （111） to a more random orientation by N2 addition during sputtering. The ordering temperature of FePt phase reduces about 100℃ with appropriate N2 partial pressure. A larger coercivity of 6.0 × 10^5 Aim is obtained with N2 partial pressure about 15%. Structural analysis reveals that a small quantity of Fe3N phase forms during sputtering and the release of N atoms during the post annealing induces a large number of vacancies in the films, which benefits to the transformation of FePt phase from fcc to fct.     

X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism Measurement of Fe-Co Alloy Films Prepared by Electrodeposition

The macro- and micro-magnetic properties of Fe-Co alloy films eletrodeposited on CaAs（100） are studied by synchrotron radiation x-ray magnetic circular dichroism （XMCD） in combination with the magneto-optical Kerr effect （MOKE） measurements and magnetic force microscopy （MFM）. The orbital and spin magnetic moments of each element in the Fe-Co alloy are determined by the sum rules of XMCD. Element-specific hysteresis loops （ESHL） are obtained by recording the La MCD signals as a function of applied magnetic field. MOKE results reveal that the amorphous films are magnetically isotropic in the surface plane. The MFM image shows that the dimension of the magnetic domains is about 1-2 #m, which is much larger than that of the grains, indicating that there are intergranular correlations among these grains. Both ESHL and MOKE hysteresis loops indicate the strong ferromagnetic coupling of Fe and Co in the alloy films.     

Structure and magnetic properties of Fe96−x Zr x B4 nanowire arrays

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