Structural and magnetic properties of the exchange-coupled PrFeB alloys

Ribbons of the Pr4.5Fe77B18.5 alloys were produced by melt spinning and the n annealed by flash or conventional annealing to develop enhanced-remanence nanocrystalline magnetic material. These materials were studied by magneti c measurements, x-ray, and neutron diffraction. Curie temperature measureme nts show that the phases present are Pr2Fe14,B Fe3B, alpha-Fe, and Pr2Fe23B 3. Rietveld analyses of the neutron and the x-ray diffraction spectra showe d that the main phases of these materials were Pr2Fe14B and Fe3B, Pr2Fe14B being the major phase (approximate to 60%). Differences between the values of the lattice parameters of Pr2Fe14B in these materials may indicate that this phase is not stoichiometric. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ S0021-8979(00)24108-X].