Advances in Materials Science and Engineering (Jan 2018)
Study of Structure and Magnetic Properties of SmCo10 Alloy Prepared by Different Methods
Abstract
In this paper, the phase compositions, microstructures, atomic structures, and magnetic properties of Co-rich SmCo10 alloys prepared by arc-melting, annealing, and melt-spinning were studied. It was found that as-cast alloy is composed of Th2Zn17-type Sm2Co17 matrix with an average grain size of ∼45 μm accompanied by lamellar eutecticum (consisting of α-Co and Th2Zn17-type Sm2Co17) distributed at grain boundaries. The annealed alloy has the same phase composition and phase distribution as the as-cast alloy except that the average grain size decreases to ∼35 μm, and the eutecticum has more homogeneous distribution on the matrix. Simultaneously, the atomic structure of Sm2Co17 is unchanged with only a decrease in structural disorder after annealing. The as-spun ribbons are composed of ∼95.5 vol.% TbCu7-type Sm2Co17 and the rest α-Co. The short rod-shaped α-Co grains are intermittently distributed at the grain boundaries of equiaxed Sm2Co17 grains. The as-spun ribbons show a higher coercivity, and the annealed alloy shows maximum magnetization. The structural parameters were calculated by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), and the relationship between structure and magnetic properties was discussed in detail.