Microstructure and magnetostrictive properties of epoxy-bonded Tb1-xNdx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 (0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.75) composites

Abstract

An epoxy-resin bonding route was used to produce composite rods of the highly magnetostrictive alloys Tb 1-x Nd x( Fe 0.8 Co 0.2)1.93 (0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.75). The structure, spin configuration, magnetostriction and particle size are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), a standard strain technique and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The epoxy-bonded 0–3 type and pseudo 1–3 type composites are successfully fabricated, respectively. XRD analysis shows that the easy magnetization direction (EMD) for the alloy of x = 0.20 lies along 〈111〉 axis. The magnetic curing field makes the particles align as a particulate chain and also causes the particles rotating along its EMD direction. The pseudo 1–3 type epoxy-bonded composite has a larger magnetostriction than that of the 0–3 type composite, which can be attributed to the larger magnetostriction coefficient λ111, EMD lying along 〈111〉 direction, the 〈111〉-textured orientation and the chain structure. A large saturation magnetostriction (λ0S ~ 570 ppm) is achieved for the 1–3 type epoxy/ Tb 0.35 Nd 0.65( Fe 0.8 Co 0.2)1.93 composite (about 150–250 μm, 10 kOe), which approaches 70% of its monolithic alloy. Furthermore, it only contains 27 vol.% alloy particles in the insulating epoxy matrix and performs a low magnetic anisotropy, which could make it technologically interesting for the field of Nd -containing magnetostrictive materials.