AIP Advances (May 2020)
Preparation of submicron-sized Sm2Fe17N3 fine powder by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis-hydrogen reduction (USP-HR) and subsequent reduction–diffusion process
Abstract
A new reduction–diffusion method for preparing submicron-sized Sm2Fe17N3 was developed. First, submicron-sized α-Fe/Sm2O3 composite precursors with good dispersibility were prepared directly by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and hydrogen reduction (USP-HR). Then, the precursor was successfully converted into Sm2Fe17N3 powder by Ca reduction–diffusion and nitridation. The results displayed that the precursor prepared by USP-HR was a monodisperse homogeneous composite of spherical particles of α-Fe and Sm2O3. α-Fe and Sm2O3 exist in an intercalated structure in the composite spherical particles. This creates conditions for the preparation of ultrafine Sm2Fe17N3 particles with uniform sizes and dispersity. The results show that Sm2Fe17N3 is a single-phase, composed of submicron-sized particles with no other impurity phases. The physical property measurement system shows that the coercivity of 0.616 ± 0.347 µm particles reaches 14.7 kOe.