Impact of intergranular phase variations on the anomalous Nernst effect in Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

Improving the anomalous Nernst coefficient (S ANE) in permanent magnets is essential for increasing the power density in transverse thermoelectric generators, which use permanent magnets to operate the anomalous Nernst effect without relying on an external magnetic field. While recent studies indicate that microstructural engineering can affect S ANE, the specific relationship between microstructure and S ANE in permanent magnets remains underexplored. This study investigates S ANE of hot-pressed, hot-deformed, and RE-Cu (RE = Dy-Nd, Nd, and Pr) grain boundary diffusion-processed Nd-Fe-B magnets. The results show that S ANE increases by 68%, from -2.6 × 10-7 VK-1 in the hot-pressed state to -4.4 × 10-7 VK-1 after hot-deformation in which grain growth and crystallographic texture are realized without changing the composition of the magnets. S ANE further increases to -5.0 × 10-7 VK-1 after grain boundary structure and composition change from thin amorphous phase to thick crystalline phase by grain boundary diffusion of Dy-Nd-Cu alloy. The increase in S ANE is found to be primarily due to the reduction of the opposing transverse electric field caused by the Seebeck-effect-induced carrier flow bent by the anomalous Hall effect. Owing to the crystallographic texture formation after hot-deformation, almost the same transverse thermopower as S ANE is obtained in the hot-deformed and RE-Cu grain boundary diffusion-processed Nd-Fe-B magnets at a remanence state, i.e., under zero magnetic field. These findings demonstrate that microstructural optimization can effectively enhance the S ANE in ultra-fine grained Nd-Fe-B magnets, providing a promising avenue for advancing materials in applications of transverse thermoelectrics.