Nanocomposite Sm2Co17/Co permanent magnets by mechanical alloying

Mechanically alloyed magnets SmCox (x=6.0–11.0) have been prepared using starting materials of commercial SmCo5 and Co powders. X-ray diffraction data indicate that the equilibrium Sm2Co17 phase can be achieved in a nanocomposite Sm2Co17/Co system at x=8.5–11.0, while a Sm2Co17/SmCo5 structure occurs at x=6.0–8.0. The best magnetic properties obtained at x=10.0 are as follows: (BH)max=10.2 MGOe, Br=9.4 kG, Hc=4.0 kOe, and S=0.82. Wohlfarth’s remanence analysis indicates that the high remanence can be attributed to the intergranular interaction between neighboring cobalt and Sm2Co17 grains.