Improvement of coercivity and thermal stability of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by intergranular addition of Tb80Fe20 alloy

To improve the coercivity and temperature stability of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets for high-temperature applications,the eutectic Tb_(80)Fe_(20)(wt%)alloy powders were added into the Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by intergranular method to enhance the coercivity(H_(cj))and thermal stability.The micro structure,magnetic properties and thermal stability of the Nd-Fe-B magnets with different Tb_(80)Fe_(20)contents were studied.The experimental results demonstrate that the coercivity(H_(cj))of the sintered Nd-Fe-B magnet is significantly enhanced from 14.12 to 27.78 kOe,and the remanence(Br)decreases not obviously by introducing 4 wt%Tb_(80)Fe_(20)alloy.Meanwhile,the reversible tempe rature coefficients of coercivity(β)and remanence(α)of the Nd-Fe-B magnets are increased from-0.5634%/℃to-0.4506%/℃and-0.1276%/℃to-0.1199%/℃at 20-170℃,respectively.The Curie temperature(TC)of the Nd-Fe-B magnet is slightly enhanced with the increase of Tb_(80)Fe_(20)content.Moreover,the irreversible flux magnetic loss(hirr)is obviously reduced as Tb80Fe20addition increases.Further analysis of the microstructure reveals that a modified microstructure,i.e.clear and continuous RE-rich grain boundary layer,is acquired in the sintered magnets by introducing Tb_(80)Fe_(20)alloy.The associated mechanisms on improved coercivity and thermal stability were comprehensively researched.