Magnetic Properties of NdFeB Alloys Obtained by Gas Atomization Technique

We report on the magnetic properties of NdFeB powders produced by gas atomization, which is a powder manufacturing technology scarcely used in the past to produce such alloys. Using this technique, we have produced several ternary NdFeB alloys with Nd contents between 26.9 wt.% and 28.5 wt.%. The as-atomized powders were split into different size fractions by sieving. Subsequently, we measured the magnetic properties as a function of temperature, between 10 and 400 K, and particle size. The magnetic behavior depends strongly on the microstructure of the material, which in turn is determined by the particle size. It is reported a slope anomaly in the curve of magnetization as a function of temperature at around 150 K due to a spin-reorientation transition. Since gas-atomized powders are isotropic, this magnetic transition produces an increment of the magnetization below this temperature.