A facile process to optimize performance of regenerated Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets:Chemo-selective dissolution washing

In this work,the recycled Nd-Fe-B powders and regenerated Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with low impurity content were successfully prepared from Nd-Fe-B magnet sludge via reduction diffusion(RD)method followed by a chemo-selective dissolution washing proc ess.The chemo-selective dissolution effect of various solution(deionized water,dilute acetic acid solution,NH_(4)Cl-methanol solution) was evaluated by impurity content and magnetic properties of the recycled Nd-Fe-B powder.The NH_(4)Cl-methanol solution can selectively remove impurities with minimal damage to the magnetic phase.Besides,the optimal NH_(4)Cl concentration and liquid-to-solid ratio were investigated.As a consequence,the contents of Ca,O,and H after optimal washing process are reduced to 0.07 wt%,0.31 wt% and 0.22 wt%,respectively.Hence,M_(3) Tis increased to 146.72 emu/g,which is 33% higher than that of the initial sludge.Then,the regenerated Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with properties of B_(r)=11.66 kG,H_(cj)=16.49 kOe,and(BH)_(m)=31.78 MGOe were successfully prepared by mixing with 40 wt% Nd4Fe14B alloy powders.Compared with the corresponding regenerated magnets washed with deionized water,the remanence and coercivity are increased by 18% and 59%,respectively.

Effects of copper and zirconium contents on microstructure and magnetic properties of Sm(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)_(z)magnets with high iron content

The evolution of the microstructure,microchemistry and magnetic properties of the Sm(CobalFe_(0.28)-CuyZrx)_(7.6)magnets with different Zr and Cu contents was investigated.It is found that the coercivity of the Sm(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)_(z)magnets is sensitive to Zr content.The deficiency of Zr content causes heterogeneity of Cu and Fe distributions,while an excessive Zr content leads to the formation of a SmCoZr impurity phase.The cellular structure and distribution of Cu concentration.gradient between the cell boundary phase and cell pha se are destroyed by inappropriate Zr content,which results in a reduction of coercivity.The Cu concentration difference between the cell boundary phase and cell phase increases with increasing Cu content.The coercivity of the Sm(CobalFe_(0.28)CuyZ_(r0.02))_(7.6)magnets increases from 10.4 to 25.4 kOe for y=0.05 and y=0.07.However,the excess of Cu element destroys the cell boundary phase and enlarges the cell size,resulting in a significant decrease of squareness and energy density.The optimum performance(remanence of 11.4 kG,coercivity of 25.4 kOe,maximum magnetic ene rgy product of 30.4 MGOe)was obtained for the Sm(Co_(0.63)Fe_(0.28)Cu_(0.07)Zr_(0.02))_(7.6)magnet.

Calcium hydride reduced high-quality Nd-Fe-B powder from Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet sludge

The structural and magnetic properties were studied for recycling Nd-Fe-B powders from Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets sludge via reduction diffusion(RD)with calcium hydride(CaH_(2))particles.For comparison,traditional reducing agent calcium granules were applied to prepare recycled Nd-Fe-B powders.Finer particle size and better size distribution as well as lower impurity content are achieved by using CaH_(2)instead of Ca.In detail,the average particle size of the recycled Nd-Fe-B powder is reduced from 4.66 to 3.43μm,and the bimodal distribution disappears.Moreover,the residual calcium content and oxygen content are reduced to about 0.080 wt%and 0.32 wt%.As a consequence,the roomtemperature magnetization of the CaH_(2)-recycled Nd-Fe-B powder is increased to 146.30 emu/g,6.8%and 33%,respectively,higher than that of Ca-reduced powder and the initial sludge.Further analysis indicates that CaH_(2)is able to reduce the sludge at lower tempe rature to fabricate well-dispersed,unifo rm recycled powder with high magnetization arising from a combination factors of its low melting point,low thermodynamic behavior,and the release of hydrogen during the reaction.