MAGNETIC PROPERTIES AND CRYSTALLIZATION OF THE RAPIDLY QUENCHED (Fe1-xNdx) 81.5B18.5 ALLOYS

Magnetic properties and crystallization behaviors of amorphous (Fe_1-xNd_x) _81.5B_18.5 alloys were studied. The crystallization temperature is found to rise at first and then drop monotonically with x, having a maximum value of 976K at x=0.11 (9at% Nd). The (Fe_1-xNd_x) _81.5B_18.5 alloys prepared at a quenching rate of v_s = 6.6m /s are amorphous, and exhibit good glass formability. Both the coercive field H_c and energy product (BH)_max depend strongly on Nd concentration. Amorphous (Fe_1-xNd_x) _81.5B_18.5 alloys with higher Nd concentration have a high coercive field at low temperature, due to the large random uniaxial anisotropy of Nd. The room-temperature H_c and (BH)_max obtained on optimal annealing con-ditions show two maxima as a function of Nd concentration x. The highest room-temperature coercive field H_c =22 kOe within the Nd concentrations around x=0.368 and the maximum energy product (RH)_max= 13.3 MG·Oe at x =0.055 are observed. The hard magnetic properties of these crystallized samples are related to the presence of the bard magnetic Nd₂Fe₁₄B phase.