Magnetic hysteresis in rapidly quenched rare-earth alloys

The magnetic and structural properties of rapidly quenched (Pr₈₀Ga₂₀)_100-xFe_x, RTbFe and RTbFe(Co)M alloys are examined over a wide range of chemical compositions, where R ≡ Pr, Sm, MM and M ≡ B and Si. The Ga-containing samples show relatively high coercive fields (up to 3 kOe) in the amorphous state which subsequently disappear after crystallization. On the other hand, the high coercive fields (≈5 kOe) of melt-spun RTbFe samples decrease slightly after crystallization but their magnetic moment increases substantially. Melt-spun RTbFe(Co)M samples are generally magnetically soft in the as-quenched state. Magnetic hardening is produced by annealing the samples around 750°C leading to coercive fields which could not be measured with an ordinary electromagnet (H_c #62; 23 kOe). The best properties have been obtained on a Pr₁₄Fe₇₁B₁₅ sample with a coercive field of 8 kOe and an energy product of 8.5 MGOe. Thermomagnetic data show that a structural transformation takes place upon heating the samples to 750°C. The Curie temperature of the precipitate phase is around 320°C while that of the as-quenched phase is around 160°C. Transmission electron microscope studies show a very fine precipitate structure with a precipitate size below 100 Å. The precipitate phase is believed to be highly anisotropic leading to the observed hard magnetic properties.