Formation and magnetic properties of metastable phases (Fe5Sm, Fe7Sm2) in binary Fe-Sm alloys

In binary Fe
100-x
Sm
x
alloy system, metastable Fe
5
Sm and Fe
7
Sm
2
phases were obtained both by crystallization of amorphous precursor and by direct-quenching at controlled rates. The heat-treated Fe-Sm alloys involving the Fe
7
Sm
2
exhibit a huge coercive force, suggesting a possibility to develop permanent magnets in these alloys.