Abstract:
In order to reduce the cost of diffusion sources, the effects of three low-cost diffusion sources, Pr
70Dy
10Al
20, Pr
70Y
10Al
20 and Pr
60Dy
10Y
10Al
20 on the magnetic properties and microstructure of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets were investigated using grain boundary diffusion technology. After diffusion, the coercivity of the three magnets increased from 858 kA/m to 1 746 kA/m, 1 118 kA/m and 1 572 kA/m, respectively. The Pr
70Dy
10Al
20 magnet exhibited the largest coercivity enhancement, reaching 203% of the original magnet. This was primarily attributed to the formation of a Dy-rich shell and a continuous rare-earth-rich grain boundary phase. In the Pr
70Y
10Al
20 diffused magnet, Y-rich shells with darker atomic number contrast were formed, and the diffusion depth of Y was similar to that of Dy in the Pr
70Dy
10Al
20 diffused magnet. Although the coercivity increase in the Pr
60Dy
10Y
10Al
20 diffused magnet was lower than that in the Pr
70Dy
10Al
20 diffused magnet, it still showed a significant improvement compared to the Pr
70Y
10Al
20 diffused magnet. Microstructural analysis revealed that in the Pr
60Dy
10Y
10Al
20 diffused magnet, Pr, Dy, and Y tended to enter the main phase, forming thicker Pr-Y-Dy-rich shells, which reduced the anisotropy of the shells and limited the improvement of coercivity.