Magnetic domain structures of precipitation-hardened SmCo 2:17-type sintered magnets: Heat treatment effect

The typical magnetic domains of Sm（CObalFe0.25Cuo.07Zr0.02）7.4 magnets quenched through various heattreatment steps have been revealed by using magnetic force microscopy （MFM）. For the specimens in which the nominal c-axis is perpendicular to the imaging plane, the domain configurations change from plate-like for the as-sintered magnet to corrugation and spike-like for the homogenized one, and then to a coarse and finally to a finer domain structure when isothermally aged at 830℃ and then annealed at 400℃. However, only plate-like domains can be detected on the surfaces with the nominal c-axis parallel to the imaging plane. The finer domain （so-called interaction domain） is a characteristic magnetic domain pattern of the SmCo 2：IT-type magnets with high coercivities. Domain walls in a zigzag shape are revealed by means of MFM in final bulk SraCo 2：17-type sintered magnets.

Evolution of magnetic domain structure of martensite in Ni–Mn–Ga films under the interplay of the temperature and magnetic field

Ferromagnetic shape memory Ni-Mn-Ga films with 7M modulated structure were prepared on MgO （001） substrates by magnetron sputtering. Magnetization process with a typical two-hysteresis loop indicates the occurrence of the reversible magnetic field-induced reorientation. Magnetic domain structure and twin structure of the film were controlled by the in- terplay of the magnetic and temperature field. With cooling under an out-of-plane magnetic field, the evolution of magnetic domain structure reveals that martensitic transformation could be divided into two periods： nucleation and growth. With an in-plane magnetic field applied to a thermomagnetic-treated film, the evolution of magnetic domain structure gives evidence of a reorientation of twin variants of martensite. A microstructural model is described to define the twin structure and to produce the magnetic domain structure at the beginning of martensitic transformation; based on this model, the relationship between the twin structure and the magnetic domain structure for the treated film under an in-plane field is also described.

Observation of Magnetic Domain Structures of Magnetic Thin Films by the Lorentz Electron Microscopy

The microstructure change in thin NiFe/Cu/NiFe films during the magnetization process was observed by the Lorentz electronmicroscopy. TWo types of films were prepared: (1) one NiFe layer with anisotropy and the other layer without, and (2) both NiFe layershave anisotropy normal each other. The domain wall migration and magnetization rotation processes in each of NiFe layers could be observed separately. The presence of magnetic anisotropy in the magnetic layer effectively controls the behavior of magnetic domains. Theinteraction between the two NiFe layers of the film could be observed not so strong in the present experiment.

Evolution of Magnetic Domain Structure in a YIG Thin Film

The evolution of a magnetic domain structure induced by temperature and magnetic field is reported in silicon- doped yttrium iron garnet （YIG） films with perpendicular anisotropy. During a cooling-down procedure from 300K to 7K, a 20% change in the domain width is observed, with the long tails of the stripes being shortened and the twisting stripes being straightened. Under the influence of the stray field of a barium ferrite, the garnet presents an interesting domain structure, which shows an appearance of branching protrusions. The intrinsic mechanisms in these two processes are also discussed.

Study on Magnetic Domains in Sm-Co Based Alloy

The Fresnel and Foucault techniques of Lorentz electron microscopy are reviewed and used for observing the domain walls in Sm (Co, Fe, Cu, Ti)7 permanent magnets. The studies indicate that the width of the magnetic domain in the peak-aged alloy is from several hundreds nanometers to several micrometers. The wavy domain walls follow the cell boundaries of 2:17 phase, i.e. along the 1:5 phase. After aging at 850°C for more than 10h, the 1:5 phase with strip-like microstructure forms in the 2:17 phase matrix, the domain walls do not run along the 1:5 phase, and there is no obvious interrelationship between the magnetic domain structure and the corresponding microstructure.

Ballistic current induced effective force on magnetic domain wall

The collective dynamics of magnetic domain wall under electric current is studied in the form of spin transfer torque(STT). The out-of-plane STT induced effective force is obtained based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert(LLG) equation including microscopic STT terms. The relation between microscopic calculations and collective description of the domain wall motion is established. With our numerical calculations based on tight binding free electron model, we find that the non adiabatic out-of-plane torque components have considerable non-local properties. It turns out that the calculated effective forces decay significantly with increasing domain wall widths.

Asymmetric dynamic behaviors of magnetic domain wall in trapezoid-cross-section nanostrip

Field-driven magnetic domain wall propagation in ferromagnetic nanostrips with trapezoidal cross section has been systematically investigated by means of micromagnetic simulation. Asymmetric dynamic behaviors of domain wall, depending on the propagation direction, were observed under an external magnetic field. When the domain walls propagate in the opposite direction along the long axis of the nanostrip, the Walker breakdown fields as well as the average velocities are different. The asymmetric landscape of demagnetization energies, which arises from the trapezoidal geometry, is the main origin of the asymmetric propagation behavior. Furthermore, a trapezoid-cross-section nanostrip will become a nanotube if it is rolled artificially along its long axis, and thus a two-dimensional transverse domain wall will become a three-dimensional one. Interestingly, it is found that the asymmetric behaviors observed in two-dimensional nanostrips with trapezoidal cross section are similar with some dynamic properties occurring in three-dimensional nanotubes.

RC-Circuit-Like Dynamic Characteristic of the Magnetic Domain Wall in Flat Ferromagnetic Nanowires

We investigate the dynamic behavior of the magnetic domain wall under perpendicular magnetic field pulses in fiat ferromagnetic nanowires using micromagnetic simulations. It is found that the perpendicular magnetic field pulse can trigger the magnetic domain wall motion, where all the field torques axe kept on the plane of nanowire strip. The speed of magnetic domain walls faster than several hundreds of meters per second is predicted without the Walker breakdown for the perpendicular magnetic driving field stronger than 200mT. Interestingly, the dynamic behavior of the moving magnetic domain wall driven by perpendicular magnetic field pulses is explained by charging- and discharging-like behaviors of an electrical RC-circuit model, where the charging and the discharging of magnetic charges on the nanowire planes are considered. The concept of the RC-model-like dynamic characteristic of the magnetic domain wall might be promising for the applications in spintronic functional devices based on the magnetic domain wall motion.

Thickness-dependent magnetic properties in Pt/[Co/Ni]_(n) multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We systematically investigated the Ni and Co thickness-dependent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA)coefficient,magnetic domain structures,and magnetization dynamics of Pt(5 nm)/[Co(t_(Co))/Ni(t_(Ni))]_(5)/Pt(1 nm)multilayers by combining the four standard magnetic characterization techniques.The magnetic-related hysteresis loops obtained from the field-dependent magnetization M and anomalous Hall resistivity(AHR)ρxy showed that the two serial multilayers with t_(Co)=0.2 nm and 0.3 nm have the optimum PMA coefficient K_(U) as well as the highest coercivity H_(C) at the Ni thickness t_(Ni)=0.6 nm.Additionally,the magnetic domain structures obtained by magneto-optic Kerr effect(MOKE)microscopy also significantly depend on the thickness and K_(U) of the films.Furthermore,the thickness-dependent linewidth of ferromagnetic resonance is inversely proportional to K_(U) and H_(C),indicating that inhomogeneous magnetic properties dominate the linewidth.However,the intrinsic Gilbert damping constant determined by a linear fitting of the frequency-dependent linewidth does not depend on the Ni thickness and K_(U).Our results could help promote the PMA[Co/Ni]multilayer applications in various spintronic and spin-orbitronic devices.

Effect of CeO_(2)doping on the coercivity of 2:17 type SmCo magnets

The effects of CeO_(2)doping on the magnetic properties and microstructure of 2:17 type SmCo magnets are studied.With the increase of CeO_(2)from 0 wt.%to 3 wt.%,the coercivity of the magnets increases from 22.22 kOe to over 29.37 kOe,which is an increase of more than 30%.When the doping content is lower than 1 wt.%,the remanence and magnetic energy product of the magnets remain almost constant.Both decrease sharply as the doping concentration further increases.After CeO_(2)doping,the oxide content in the magnet increases significantly and the Ce element is uniformly distributed in the magnet.Observing the magnetic domains reveals that doping with CeO_(2)can refine the magnetic domains and make the magnetic domain wall more stable,resulting in a significant increase in the coercivity of the magnets.

Evolution of tribo-magnetization during sliding of ferromagnetic materials

Sliding-induced subsurface microstructure evolution is believed to be decisive for determining the friction and wear performance of metallic contacts as well as the development of tribo-magnetization.This expects to develop a new prediction method of wear state by elucidating the correlation between subsurface microstructure evolution and corresponding magnetic domain changes.Herein,subsurface microstructure evolution including crystal and magnetic domain under tribological action is investigated experimentally.Our results demonstrate that dislocation mediated plastic deformation decisively influences microstructural changes during tribological contact,further determining the magnetic domain structure.Specifically,sliding-induced plastic deformation causes an increase in the width of magnetic domains,but depth-dependent derived microstructure formed under severe plastic deformation such as the refined grains and sub-grains,in turn,promoted the refinement of magnetic domains and their discontinuity,forming depth-dependent magnetic domain structure.These results are helpful to clarify the evolution of tribo-magnetization and the pinning effect of dislocations on magnetic domains.

Enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction in FePt film with remanence due to decrease in domain walls

As an effective strategy to improve the properties of electrocatalysts,magnetic field-assisted electrocatalytic water splitting has attracted increasing attention recently.However,the corresponding enhancements mostly depend on the exertion of an external magnetic field during electrochemical reactions,which results in a high cost of industrial production,and makes the magnetic field manipulation of electrocatalysis become a challenging task.In this work,instead of the external magnetic field,a bias magnetic field is self-supplied by the remanence state of a ferromagnetic electrocatalyst of FePt.Owing to the assistance of this bias magnetic field,the FePt film in the remanence state shows the overpotential of 229 mV during hydrogen evolution reaction,which is much lower than that in its demagnetization state(283 mV).Our findings demonstrate that the remanence in ferromagnetic electrocatalysts can improve the catalytic performance,which is attributed to the decrease in domain walls.

Magnetic microstructure and coercivity mechanism of high performance Nd-Fe-B magnets

Magnetic microstructure of high performance Nd-Fe-B magnets was investigated by using magnetic force microscopy. The correlation between magnetic microstructure and coercivity for high performance Nd-Fe-B magnets was studied. It is found that the magnets with different coercivity mechanism take on different microstructures and magnetism. Moreover, the magnetic microstructures of high performance permanent magnets can be explained by the starting field theory model.

Solidification Behavior of Laser Melting Layer of Nd_(15)Fe_(77)B_8 Sintered Magnets and Its Microstructures Evolution

To research the solidification behavior and microstructures of a laser remelting/solidification layer on anisotropic Nd_(15)Fe_(77)B_(8 )sintered magnets with their magnetization direction parallel to X, Y, Z-axis respectively, their surfaces (parallel to XOY plane) were scanned by 5 kW Roffin-Sinar 850 type of CO_(2) laser along Y axis. The rapid solidification of the molten alloy in the layer results in three distinct zones. The transition zone close to the unmolten portion of a magnet (substrate), consists of the columnar Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B phase (matrix), the 10.0%~15.1% dendrite primary iron phase dispersing in the matrix, and the Nd-rich phase along Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grain boundaries. The columnar crystal zone in the middle of the layer consists of the long columnar Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grains and their grain boundary Nd-rich phase. And the dendrite crystal zone near the free surface of the layer consists of dendrite Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grains and their grain boundary Nd-rich phase. When the laser scanning velocity is lower, the growing direction of the microstructures in the layer tends to the laser scanning direction step by step. When the velocity is not lower than 25 mm·s^(-1), the laser remelting/solidification layer thins and the columnar crystal zone comprises almost the whole layer. Under this condition, on the substrate with its magnetization direction along X or Y-axis respectively, the columnar Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grains in the layer grow in the direction of Z-axis (that is their long-axis along Z-axis), their alignment of the easy magnetization axis [001] is parallel to the magnetization direction of the substrate correspondingly; but on the substrate with its magnetization direction along Z-axis, the columnar Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grains in the transition zone grow at an angle of 30°~50° between Z-axis and their long-axis. And the columnar Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B grains in the columnar crystal zone gradually tend to the Z-axis,and their easy magnetization axis [001] arrange in the range of 0°~360° of the plane perpendicular to their long-axis.

Reduction of Residual Stress in Low Alloy Steel with Magnetic Treatment in Different Directions

The behavior that different magnetic treatment directions induce various amounts of welding residual stress reductions in low alloy steel was studied. Reductions of 26%-28% in the longitudinal stress σ x were obtained when low frequency alternating magnetic treatment was applied perpendicularly to the welding bead, whereas reductions of 20%-21% in σ x were measured by using the same treatment parameters except that the field direction was applied parallel to the bead. It is proposed that different extent of stress reductions caused by the above two treatment directions is attributed primarily to the alteration of the energy absorbed by domains from the external magnetic field, which part of energy can arouse plastic deformation in microstructures by the motion of domain walls.

Relationship between crystal growth mode, preferred orientation and magnetostriction of (Tb_(0.3)Dy_(0.7))Fe_(1.95) alloys

The relationship between crystal growth mode, preferred orientation and magnetostrictive properties of （Tb0.3Dy0.7）Fe1.95 alloys was investigated at different directional solidification rates. The results showed that preferred orientation had a strong influence on the characteristics of （Tb0.3Dy0.7）Fe1.95 alloys. At lower solidification rates, the sample with 〈110〉 preferred orientation showed larger low-field magnetostriction and apparent compressive stress effect. The excessive solidification rate resulted in failure of preferred orientation and a poor magnetostrictive performance. With an increase in solidification rates, the crystal growth modes changed gradually from cellular and primary dendrite morphology to developed dendritic morphology. In addition, domain configurations were observed using magnetic force microscopy, and the change of magnetostrictive properties was interpreted in terms of revealing the domain configurations.

Spin switching in antiferromagnets using Néel-order spin-orbit torques

Antiferromagnets offer considerable potential for electronic device applications. This article reviews recent demonstrations of spin manipulation in antiferromagnetic devices using applied electrical currents. Due to spin–orbit coupling in environments with particular crystalline or structural symmetries, the electric current can induce an effective magnetic field with a sign that alternates on the lengthscale of the unit cell. The staggered effective field provides an efficient mechanism for switching antiferromagnetic domains and moving antiferromagnetic domain walls, with writing speeds in the terahertz regime.

Magnetic texture of Nd_2Fe_(14)B solidified in the surface layer of anisotropic sintered-magnets

The arrangements of the easy magnetization axis [001] of columnar Nd2Fe14B crystals in the laser scanned layer on anisotropic sintered Nd15Fe77B8 magnets were investigated by XRD and the Bitter method. The results show that the common effects of both the heat flux and the substrate magnetization orientation constrain the columnar Nd2Fe14B solidified from the laser melting pool to form the c-axis texture orientated with the same direction as that of the substrate, when the geometric relationship between the heat flux in the laser scanning layer and c-axis texture orientation of the substrate is perpendicular to each other, and if the laser scanning velocity is no less than 25 mm·min-1. The c-axes of columnar Nd2Fe14B crystals are no longer randomly distributed in the plane normal to their preferential growing direction as they are randomly done in both ingots cooled by water-cooling copper mould and directionally solidified Nd-Fe-B rods.

Composition influence on the microstructures and magnetic properties of FePt thin films

The Fex Pt 100x （10nm） （x=31–51） thin films are fabricated on Si （100） substrates by using magnetron sputtering. The highly ordered L1 0 FePt phase is obtained after post-annealing at 700℃in Fe 47 Pt 53 thin film. The sample shows good perpendicular anisotropy with a square loop and a linear loop in the out-of-plane and the in-plane direction, respectively. The variations of the magnetic domains are investigated in the films when the content value of Fe changes from 31% to 51%.

Application of magnetic Barkhausen noise in non-destructive testing fields of residual stress

Magnetic Barkhausen noise （ MBN） is a phenomenon of electromagnetic energy due to the movement of magnetic domain walls inside ferromagnetic materials when they are locally magnetized by an alternating magnetic fields. According to Faraday＇s law of electromagnetic induction, the noise can be received by the coil attached to the surface of the material being magnetized and the noise carries the message of the characteristics of the material such as stresses, hardness, phase content, etc. Based on the characteristic of the noise, researching about the relationship between the residual stress in the welding assembly and the noise are carried out. Furthermore, data process is performed by RMS （Root Mean Square） equation and Power Spectrum analysis.