Effect of optimized aging processing on properties of the sintered Dy-doped Nd–Fe–B permanent magnet

We investigate the effect of the optimized aging processing on magnetism and mechanical property of the sintered Dydoped Nd–Fe–B permanent magnet. The experimental results show that the magnetism, especially intrinsic coercivity, of the optimized aged Dy-doped Nd–Fe–B magnet is more excellent than that of the sintered one, but the former's strength and hardness are lower than that of the latter. It was observed that the optimized aged Dy-doped Nd–Fe–B magnet have more uniform grain size, thinner(Nd, Dy)-rich boundary phase. By means of the EBSD technology, the number of larger angle grain boundaries in the optimized aged Dy-doped Nd–Fe–B magnet is more than that of the sintered one. The reasons for the increased intrinsic coercivity and decreased mechanical properties of the optimized aged Dy-doped Nd–Fe–B magnet are also discussed.     

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.     

Regulating element distribution to improve magnetic properties of sintered Nd–Fe–B/Tb–Fe–B composite magnets

Nd content was varied in Nd_(13.2-x)Fe_(80.8+x)B_6(x = 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5) to optimize the magnetic properties of sintered Nd–Fe–B/Tb–Fe–B composite magnets, which were prepared by mixing 9 g of Nd–Fe–B with 1 g of Tb_(17)Fe_(75)B_8 powder.In conventional magnets, by reducing Nd content, the coercivity of 10.4 kOe in Nd_(13.2)Fe_(80.8)B_6 decreases to 7.2 kOe in Nd_(12.2)Fe_(81.8)B_6; meanwhile, in Nd–Fe–B/Tb–Fe–B magnets the coercivity does not decrease when reducing Nd content.In the intergranular phase, the Tb content increases owing to the reducing Nd content of the Nd–Fe–B alloy in the sintered composite magnets.Therefore, the excess Tb in Tb_(17)Fe_(75)B_8 enters the intergranular phase, and more Tb atoms can substitute for Nd at the grain boundary of the Nd–Fe–B phase, leading to a more significant increase in coercivity.The remanence increases with reducing Nd content, and the energy product of 39.1 MGOe with a high coercivity of 21.0 kOe is obtained in Nd_(12.2)Fe_(81.8)B_6/Tb_(17)Fe_(75)B_8 magnets.These investigations show that magnetic properties can be further improved by regulating the element distribution in sintered composite magnets.     

Sm–Co high-temperature permanent magnet materials

Permanent magnets capable of reliably operating at high temperatures up to ~450?C are required in advanced power systems for future aircrafts, vehicles, and ships. Those operating temperatures are far beyond the capability of Nd–Fe–B magnets. Possessing high Curie temperature, Sm–Co based magnets are still very important because of their hightemperature capability, excellent thermal stability, and better corrosion resistance. The extensive research performed around the year 2000 resulted in a new class of Sm_2(Co, Fe, Cu, Zr)_(17)-type magnets capable of operating at high temperatures up to 550?C. This paper gives a systematic review of the development of Sm–Co permanent magnets, from the crystal structures and phase diagrams to the intrinsic magnetic properties. An emphasis is placed on Sm_2(Co, Fe, Cu, Zr)_(17)-type magnets for operation at temperatures from 300?C to 550?C. The thermal stability issues, including instantaneous temperature coefficients of magnetic properties, are discussed in detail. The significance of nanograin structure, nanocrystalline, and nanocomposite Sm–Co magnet materials, and prospects of future rare-earth permanent magnets are also given.     

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.     

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.     

Effect of annealing temperature on coercivity of Nd–Fe–B magnets with TbFeAl doping by process of hot-pressing

The Nd–Fe–B magnets are pre-sintered and then processed with hot-pressing, and the resulting magnets are called the hot-pressed pretreated(HPP) magnets. The coercivity of the HPP magnets increases as the annealed temperature increases.When the annealing temperature is 900℃, the coercivity of the magnet is only 17.6 kOe(1Oe = 79.5775 A·m~(-1)), but when the annealing temperature rises up to 1060℃, the coercivity of the magnet reaches 23.53 k Oe, which is remarkably increased by 33.7%. The microstructure analysis indicates that the grain surface of the HPP magnet becomes smoother as the annealed temperature increases. The microstructure factor α is changed according to the intrinsic coercivity model formula. The α of the magnet at 900℃ is only 0.578, but it is 0.825 at 1060℃. Microstructural optimization is due mainly to the increase of coercivity of the HPP magnet.     

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 oxidation of DyH_3 in Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets

The effects of oxidation of Dy H3 with respect to dysprosium addition to Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets are examined.Samples sintered with the addition of freshly milled dysprosium hydride, dysprosium hydride exposed to air at room temperature for 15 min and dysprosium hydride exposed to air at 100°C for 3.5 hours are studied from the aspects of magnetic properties, microstructures, and their degradation, respectively. It is found that some oxidized dysprosium is distributed in the Nd-rich phase; hence, the decrease of remanence occurred. The degradation results indicate that preoxidised dysprosium can be a major factor in increasing the corrosion rate. The microstructures and corrosion acceleration test suggested that the oxidation is detrimental to remanence.     

Synthesis, thermionic emission and magnetic properties of (NdxGd1-x)B6

Polycrystalline rare-earth hexaborides(NdxGd1-x)B6(x = 0,0.2,0.6,0.8,1) were prepared by the reactive spark plasma sintering(SPS) method using mixed powder of GdH2,NdH2 and B.The effects of Nd doping on the crystal structure,the grain orientation,the thermionic emission and the magnetic properties of the hexaboride were investigated by X-ray diffraction,electron backscattered diffraction and magnetic measurements.It is found that all the samples sintered by the SPS method exhibit high densities(> 95%) and high values of Vickers hardness(2319 kg/mm2).The values are much higher than those obtained in the traditional method.With the increase of Nd content,the thermionic emission current density increases from 11 to 16.30 A/cm2 and the magnetic phase transition temperature increases from 5.85 to 7.95 K.Thus,the SPS technique is a suitable method to synthesize the dense rare-earth hexaborides with excellent properties.     

Synthesis,thermionic emission and magnetic properties of （NdxGdl-x）B6

Polycrystalline rare-earth hexaborides （NdxGdl-x）B6 （x = 0, 0.2, 0.6, 0.8, 1） were prepared by the reactive spark plasma sintering （SPS） method using mixed powder of GdH2, NdH2 and B. The effects of Nd doping on the crystal structure, the grain orientation, the thermionie emission and the magnetic properties of the hexaboride were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron backscattered diffraction and magnetic measurements. It is found that all the samples sintered by the SPS method exhibit high densities （〉95%） and high values of Vickers hardness （2319 kg/mm2）. The values are much higher than those obtained in the traditional method. With the increase of Nd content,the thermionic emission current density increases from 11 to 16.30 A/cm2 and the magnetic phase transition temperature increases from 5.85 to 7.95 K. Thus, the SPS technique is a suitable method to synthesize the dense rare-earth hexaborides with excellent properties.     

Exchange interaction and demagnetization process of high-abundance rare-earth magnets sintered using dual alloy method

The 2:14:1-type rare-earth(RE)-Fe-B permanent magnets prepared by the dual alloy method have been found to possess much superior magnetic properties to those prepared by the single alloy method,providing an appealing route to promote the utilization of high-abundance RE elements Ce and La and balance the use of the RE source.However,the relationship between magnetic interactions among different 2:14:1 main phases and superior magnetic properties is still unclear.In this study,we investigated the magnetic interactions and reversal field distribution in these magnets using first-order reversal curve(FORC)images.The FORC images showed that(Nd,Pr)27.8(La,Ce)2.7FebalM1.4B1.0(S-9)and(Nd,Pr)19.5(La,Ce)11.0FebalM1.4B1.0(S-36)have the characteristics of multiple main phases.The reverse magnetic fields corresponding to the soft and hard main phases,as well as the associated exchange coupling,were highly dependent on the La Ce content.The higher the La Ce content,the weaker the exchange coupling and the more asynchronous the demagnetization process.In addition,the FORC images indicated that the magnetization reversal process also varies with La Ce content,where the nucleation and propagation of reversed domains dominant in the S-9 magnet,while the domain propagation in the S-36 magnet is considerably suppressed.Additional micromagnetic simulations also revealed that the coercivity and exchange coupling of multi-main-phase magnets decrease with increasing La Ce content,correlating well with the experimental results.These findings may not only contribute to a better understanding of the complex magnetic interactions between the soft and hard phases and how they affect macroscopic magnetic properties but also help in improving the magnetic performance of the RE-Fe-B magnets with high La Ce content.     

57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry: A powerful technique to analyze the magnetic and phase characteristics in RE–Fe–B permanent magnets

This review summarizes the recent advances on the application of ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectrometry to study the magnetic and phase characteristics of Nd–Fe–B-based permanent magnets. First of all, the hyperfine structures of the Ce₂Fe₁₄B,(Ce,Nd)₂Fe₁₄B and MM₂Fe₁₄B phases are well-defined by using the model based on the Wigner-Seitz analysis of the crystal structure. The results show that the isomer shift δ and the quadrupole splitting ?EQ of those 2:14:1 phases show minor changes with the Nd content, while the hyperfine field Bhfincreases monotonically with increasing Nd content and its value is influenced by the element segregation and phase separation in the 2:14:1 phase. Then, the hyperfine structures of the low fraction secondary phases are determined by the ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectrometry due to its high sensitivity. On this basis,the content, magnetic behavior, and magnetization of the REFe₂ phase, the amorphous grain boundary(GB) phase, and the amorphous worm-like phase, as well as their effects on the magnetic properties, are systematically studied.     

First principle calculations of thermodynamic properties of pure graphene sheet and graphene sheets with Si,Ge,Fe,and Co impurities

The thermal properties of pure graphene and graphene–impurity(impurity = Fe,Co,Si,and Ge) sheets have been investigated at various pressures(0–7 GPa) and temperatures(0–900 K).Some basic thermodynamic quantities such as bulk modulus,coefficient of volume thermal expansion,heat capacities at constant pressure and constant volume of these sheets as a function of temperature and pressure are discussed.Furthermore,the effect of the impurity density and tensile strain on the thermodynamic properties of these sheets are investigated.All of these calculations are performed based on the density functional theory and full quasi harmonic approximation.     

Stability,electronic structures,and mechanical properties of Fe–Mn–Al system from first-principles calculations

The stability, electronic structures, and mechanical properties of the Fe–Mn–Al system were determined by firstprinciples calculations. The formation enthalpy and cohesive energy of these Fe–Mn–Al alloys are negative and show that the alloys are thermodynamically stable. Fe_3Al, with the lowest formation enthalpy, is the most stable compound in the Fe–Mn–Al system. The partial density of states, total density of states, and electron density distribution maps of the Fe–Mn–Al alloys were analyzed. The bonding characteristics of these Fe–Mn–Al alloys are mainly combinations of covalent bonding and metallic bonds. The stress-strain method and Voigt–Reuss–Hill approximation were used to calculate the elastic constants and moduli, respectively. Fe_(2.5)Mn_(0.5)Al has the highest bulk modulus, 234.5 GPa. Fe_(1.5)Mn_(1.5)Al has the highest shear modulus and Young's modulus, with values of 98.8 GPa and 259.2 GPa, respectively. These Fe–Mn–Al alloys display disparate anisotropies due to the calculated different shape of the three-dimensional curved surface of the Young's modulus and anisotropic index. Moreover, the anisotropic sound velocities and Debye temperatures of these Fe–Mn–Al alloys were explored.     

Stability and elastic properties of Nb_xC_y compounds

Density functional theory(DFT) is applied to investigate the stability and mechanical properties of NbxCy compounds.The structures of NbxCy compounds are optimized, and the results are in good agreement with previous work. The calculated results of the cohesive energy and the formation enthalpy of NbxCy show that they are thermodynamically stable structures, except for Pmc21-Nb2 C. The mechanical properties such as the bulk modulus, Young’s modulus, the shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio are obtained by Voigt–Reuss–Hill approximation. The results show that the Young’s modulus and shear modulus of NbC are larger than other NbxCy compounds. The mechanical anisotropy is characterized by calculating several different anisotropic indexes and factors, such as universal anisotropic index(AU), shear anisotropic factors(A1, A2,A3), and percent anisotropy(ABand AG). The surface constructions of bulk and Young’s moduli are illustrated to indicate the mechanical anisotropy. The hardness of NbxCy compounds is also discussed in this paper. The estimated hardness for all NbxCy compounds is less than 20 GPa.     

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）.     

Magnetic properties of bulk polycrystalline Pr1-x Ndx（x=0,0.8）FeB permanent magnets

For spin reorientation （SRT）, the applications of sintering NdFeB permanent magnets are limited at low temperature. The sintering PrFeB permanent magnet （PM） presents no SRT and shows excellent magnetic properties at low temperature. The magnetic properties of bulk polycrystalline sintering Prl-xNdxFeB （x = 0 and 0.8 correspond to P42H and N50M respectively） are studied in this paper. The results show that magnetic properties and stability of N50M are better than those of 42H at room temperature. With the decrease of temperature, the parameters ofBr, Hcb, and Hci of P42H present a nearly linear increasing trend; Br and Hcb of N50M first increase and then decline, Hci presents an increasing trend. At 77 K, Br, Hci, and Jr of P42H are increased by 18.7%, 308%, and 17.1% respectively over than those at 300 K; at 120 K, Br, Hci, and Jr of N50M are increased by about 16.19%, 245%, and 12.6% respectively over than those at 300 K. The magnetic properties of P42H are better than those of N50M at low temperature. The sintering PrFeB is the preferred PM in various low-temperature devices.     

Effect of magnetic properties of soft magnetic phase on the energy product of an exchange-spring magnet

Research on exchange-spring magnets has focused on the microstructures of the materials.However,research has seldom been concerned with the effect of magnetic properties of soft magnetic phase on the energy product of an exchangespring magnet.In this paper,a simple one-dimensional numerical simulation is used to investigate this effect in a Nd2Fe14Bbased exchange-spring magnet.The results reveal that the larger the anisotropy constant,the stronger the exchange coupling,and the higher the magnetization of the soft magnetic4 phase,the larger the energy product of an exchange-spring magnet.This provides evidence for choosing a soft magnetic phase in an exchange-spring magnet.