Tailoring of the magnetic properties of SmCo₅:Nb_0.33Cr_0.67 nanocomposites using mechanical alloying

Authors

Richard L. Schalek, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
John Knight, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
David J. Sellmyer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Steven C. Axtell, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

November 1995

Comments

Published by IEEE; IEEE Trans. Magn. 31, 3772 (1995). ©1995 IEEE. Permission to use. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/

Abstract

Nanocomposite structures composed of ferromagnetic particles dispersed in a matrix are systems in which the magnetic properties can be tailored by varying the size and spacing of the ferromagnetic particles. Nanocomposites of SmCo₅ in a non-magnetic Nb_0.33Cr_0.67 matrix exhibit a wide variety of magnetic properties. SmCo₅ powder is premilled prior to mechanical alloying. The premilliing results in a maximum coercivity of 16 kOe after 2 hours of milling, and an enhanced remanence ratio. Both features may be due to exchange anisotropy and/or exchange coupling between hard and soft ferromagnetic phases. The nanocomposite samples show that, when the SmCo₅ particulates are small enough, the primary effect of alloying is to disperse them throughout the matrix with no further refinement of size.