Bulk anisotropic Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe nanocomposite magnets prepared by hot-deformation processing of amorphous alloys

We succeeded in producing bulk anisotropic Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe nanocomposite magnets by hot-deformation processing of Nd-lean amorphous Nd9Fe85B6. The bulk Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe nanocomposite magnets yielded at a uniaxial stress of 310 MPa at 700 degrees C for 2 min show a strong magnetic anisotropy and enhanced magnetic properties, e.g., an increase of similar to 51.4% in the maximum energy product along the stress direction as compared with the magnets produced by annealing amorphous Nd9Fe85B6. A large uniaxial stress is favorable for the (00l) texture development of Nd2Fe14B nanocrystals in the amorphous matrix, which may be attributed to a preferential nucleation and growth of Nd2Fe14B crystals at the stress. The present study provides a strategy to induce the texture for R2Fe14B phase in R-lean (R=rare earth) alloys and thus is of wide interest for yielding bulk anisotropic nanocomposite magnets with a high volume fraction of alpha-Fe phase.