A Cost-Effective Approach to Optimizing Microstructure and Magnetic Properties in Ce(17)Fe(78)B(6) Alloys

Optimizing fabrication parameters for rapid solidification of Re-Fe-B (Re = Rare earth) alloys can lead to nanocrystalline products with hard magnetic properties without any heat-treatment. In this work, we enhanced the magnetic properties of Ce(17)Fe(78)B(6) ribbons by engineering both the microstructure and volume fraction of the Ce(2)Fe(14)B phase through optimization of the chamber pressure and the wheel speed necessary for quenching the liquid. We explored the relationship between these two parameters (chamber pressure and wheel speed), and proposed an approach to identifying the experimental conditions most likely to yield homogenous microstructure and reproducible magnetic properties. Optimized experimental conditions resulted in a microstructure with homogeneously dispersed Ce(2)Fe(14)B and CeFe(2) nanocrystals. The best magnetic properties were obtained at a chamber pressure of 0.05 MPa and a wheel speed of 15 m·s(−1). Without the conventional heat-treatment that is usually required, key magnetic properties were maximized by optimization processing parameters in rapid solidification of magnetic materials in a cost-effective manner.