Magnetism of rapidly quenched rhombohedral Zr₂Co₁₁-based nanocomposites

Authors

Wenyong Zhang, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Xingzhong Li, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Shah R. Valloppilly, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ralph A. Skomski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jeffrey E. Shield, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
David J. Sellmyer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2013

Citation

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 46:13 (2013)

Abstract

The effect of quench rate and Zr content on nanostructure and magnetic properties of melt-spun Zr_xCo_100−x (x = 16–21) is investigated. High quench rate favors the formation of rhombohedral Zr₂Co₁₁, which is the hard phase. The coercivity increases with an increase in quench rate. Zr addition in limited amounts decreases the grain size of magnetic phases, which may promote the effective ex-change coupling of soft magnetic phases. Therefore, coercivity and maximum energy product of Zr₂Co₁₁-based materials are significantly enhanced. The best magnetic properties, iHc = 3.0 kOe and (BH)_max = 4.6 MG Oe, which are the highest reported values among Co–Zr binary alloys, are achieved for x = 18. The temperature coefficients of coercivity and remanence between 100 and 380 K are −0.05% K⁻¹, comparable to those of alnico magnet.