Crystallization and Magnetic Properties of Pr-Fe-B Alloys

In the present work, the thermal properties and crystallization process and kinetics of the as-spun Pr6Fe78B16 are thoroughly investigated. The activation energies Ec(x) of crystallization for the Pr2Fe14B phase increase rapidly first and then increase slowly to a maximum value 440 kJ/mol at the crystallization value of 40%, while the Ec(x) of Fe3B phase is mostly lower at the stage of crystallization and then increases gradually with the increase of crystallization fraction. Meanwhile, the enhanced magnetic properties (Hcj, 215 kA/m; Mr, 116 A m2/kg; and (BH)max, 73.9 kJ/m3) have been obtained for the alloy with the annealing temperature at 660 °C. The results of magnetization reversal behavior show that a stronger exchange-coupling interaction between the hard and soft phases can be obtained by the proper annealing temperature.