Study of the ferromagnetic quantum phase transition in Ce3−xMgxCo9

The Ce (Formula presented.) Mg (Formula presented.) Co (Formula presented.) system evolves from a Pauli paramagnetic ground state for x = 0 to a ferromagnetic ground state for (Formula presented.) in single-phase, polycrystalline samples [Lamichhane, V. Taufour, A. Palasyuk, Q. Lin, S.L. Budko, and P.C. Canfield, (Formula presented.) : transformation of a Pauli paramagnet into a strong permanent magnet, Phys. Rev. Appl. 9 (2018), p. 024023]. In order to better understand this behaviour, single-crystalline samples of Ce (Formula presented.) Mg (Formula presented.) Co (Formula presented.) for x = 0.01, 0.16, 0.24, 0.35, 0.43 and 0.50 were grown using the flux growth technique, and electrical transport and magnetic properties were studied. The (Formula presented.) -x phase diagram we infer shows that the system has a quantum phase transition near x = 0.35, transforming to a ferromagnetic ground state

Compression Molding and Novel Sintering Treatments for Alnico Type-8 Permanent Magnets in Near-Final Shape with Preferred Orientation

Economic uncertainty in the rare earth (RE) permanent magnet marketplace, as well as in an expanding electric drive vehicle market that favors permanent magnet alternating current synchronous drive motors, motivated renewed research in RE-free permanent magnets like “alnico,” an Al-Ni-Co-Fe alloy. Thus, high-pressure, gas-atomized isotropic type-8H pre-alloyed alnico powder was compression molded with a clean burn-out binder to near-final shape and sintered to density \u3e99% of cast alnico 8 (full density of 7.3 g/cm3). To produce aligned sintered alnico magnets for improved energy product and magnetic remanence, uniaxial stress was attempted to promote controlled grain growth, avoiding directional solidification that provides alignment in alnico 9. Successful development of solid-state powder processing may enable anisotropically aligned alnico magnets with enhanced energy density to be mass-produced

Rapid Assessment of the Ce-Co-Fe-Cu System for Permanent Magnetic Applications

This work focuses on the rapid synthesis and characterization of quaternary Ce(CoFeCu)5 alloy libraries to assess their potential viability as permanent magnets. Arrays of bulk specimens with controlled compositions were synthesized via laser engineered net shaping (LENS) by feeding different ratios of alloy powders into a melt pool created by a laser. Based on the assessment of the magnetic properties of the LENS printed samples, arc-melted and cast ingots were prepared with varying Fe (5–20 at.%) and Co (60–45 at.%) compositions while maintaining constant Ce (16 at.%) and Cu (19 at.%) content. The evolution of the microstructure and phases with varying chemical compositions and their dependence on magnetic properties are analyzed in as-cast and heat-treated samples. In both the LENS printed and cast samples, we find the best magnetic properties correspond to a predominantly single-phase Ce(CoFeCu)5 microstructure in which high coercivity (Hc \u3e 10 kOe) can be achieved without any microstructural refinement

Single-Crystal Permanent Magnets: Extraordinary Magnetic Behavior in the Ta-,Cu-, and Fe-Substituted CeCo 5 Systems

To reduce material and processing costs of commercial permanent magnets and to attempt to fill the empty niche of energy products, 10–20 MGOe, between low-flux (ferrites, alnico) and high-flux (Nd2Fe14B- and SmCo5-type) magnets, we report the synthesis, structure, magnetic properties, and modeling of Ta-, Cu-, and Fe-substituted CeCo5. Using a self-flux technique, we grow single crystals of Ce15.1Ta1.0Co74.4Cu9.5, Ce16.3Ta0.6Co68.9Cu14.2, Ce15.7Ta0.6Co67.8Cu15.9, Ce16.3Ta0.3Co61.7Cu21.7, and Ce14.3Ta1.0Co62.0Fe12.3Cu10.4. X-ray-diffraction analysis shows that these materials retain a CaCu5 substructure and incorporate small amounts of Ta in the form of “dumbbells,” filling the 2e crystallographic sites within the one-dimensional hexagonal channel with the 1a Ce site, whereas Co, Cu, and Fe are statistically distributed among the 2c and 3g crystallographic sites. Scanning-electron-microscopy, energy-dispersive-x-ray-spectroscopy, and scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy examinations provide strong evidence of the single-phase nature of the as-grown crystals, even though they readily exhibit significant magnetic coercivities of approximately 1.6 kOe to approximately 1.8 kOe caused by Co-enriched, nanosized structural defects and faults that can serve as pinning sites. Heat treatments at 1040∘C for 10 h and hardening at 400∘Cfor 4 h lead to the formation of a so-called composite crystal with a bimodal microstructure that consists of a Ta-poor matrix and Ta-rich laminal precipitates. Formation of the composite crystal during the heat treatment creates a three-dimensional array of extended defects within a primarily single-grain single crystal, which greatly improves its magnetic characteristics. Possible causes for the formation of the composite crystal may be associated with Ta atoms leaving matrix interstices at lower temperatures and/or matrix degradation induced by decreased miscibility at lower temperatures. Fe strongly increases both the Curie temperature and magnetization of the system resulting, in (BH)max≈13MGOe at room temperature

Manipulating magnetism in the topological semimetal EuCd2As2

EuCd2As2 is a magnetic semimetal that has the potential of manifesting nontrivial electronic states, depending on its low temperature magnetic ordering. Here, we report the successful synthesis of single crystals of EuCd2As2 that order ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically depending on the level of band filling, thus allowing for the use of magnetism to tune the topological properties within the same host. We explored their physical properties via magnetization, electrical transport, heat capacity, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and conclude that EuCd2As2 is an excellent, tunable system for exploring the interplay of magnetic ordering and topology