Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Melt-Spun Nd-Rich Nd-Fe Alloys

The effect of composition on the magnetic properties and microstructure of Nd-rich Nd-Fe alloys prepared by melt-spinning were investigated. Several magnetic phases with ordering temperatures at about 10, 37, 48, and 420-480 K were detected from the temperature dependence of magnetization. The first transition is due to the presence of the double-hexagonal-close-packed Nd phase. The magnetic transitions at 37 and 48 K may be related to the face-centered-cubic Nd-based phase and the Nd-rich nanocrystals. The high-temperature ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transitions at 420-480 K may be connected with the amorphous-like Fe-Nd phase enriched in Fe, which is observed by transmission electron microscopy in the intergranular regions. At temperatures below 100 K, the magnetization of the Nd-Fe ribbons did not saturate in a magnetic field as high as 7200 kA/m. The correlations between the microstructure and coercivity of the Nd-rich Nd-Fe ribbons are discussed.