Magnetic and crystallization studies in amorphous neodymium-cobalt alloys

The thermal and magnetic properties of amorphous alloys prepared by melt spinning and vapor deposition have been studied in the system Nd100−xCox where 25≤x≤75. It is found that the alloys around the equiatomic composition are the most stable thermally. ac susceptibility studies show that the ordering temperatures of the amorphous phase increase with cobalt content from about 30 K in Nd60Co40 to about 90 K in Nd50Co50. Upon crystallization of the samples four different phases appear with ordering temperatures 24, 105, 140, and 190 K. The phases with ordering temperatures of 24 and 105 K have been identified with Nd3Co and NdCo2, respectively.