Behavior of Nb atoms in Nb substituted Nd2Fe14B nanocrystalline alloys investigated by atom probe tomography

  • Y. Q. Wu
  • , M. J. Kramer
  • , Z. Chen
  • , B. M. Ma
  • , M. K. Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

The behavior of Nb atoms in Nd12Fe82-xB 6Nbx (x = 0 to 3) nanocrystalline alloys has been investigated by using atom probe tomography (APT) technique on near-atomic scale in the present paper. Three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) analyses on the Nb substituted alloys clearly reveal that Nb atoms are enriched at grain boundaries with a peak concentration about 4 times higher than the average for Nd 2Fe14B grains. A grain boundary region with a chemical composition near the Nb: Fe: B stoichiometry of 3:3:5 is also measured for the x = 3 alloy. The results provide direct evidence of microstructural refinement due to solute drag of Nb atoms during solidification, resulting in Nb enrichment at grain boundaries and possibly the formation of a Nb-rich interfacial phase which give rise to enhanced magnetic properties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2886-2888
Number of pages3
JournalIEEE Transactions on Magnetics
Volume40
Issue number4 II
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2004

Keywords

  • Atom probe tomography
  • Nanocrystalline
  • Niobium
  • Permanent magnets

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