Influence of partial substitution of cerium for lanthanum on magnetocaloric properties of La_(1–x)Ce_xFe_(11.44)Si_(1.56) and their hydrides

The structure and magnetocaloric properties of La1–xCexFe11.44Si1.56 and their hydrides La1–xCexFe11.44Si1.56Hy（x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4） were investigated.The samples crystallized mainly in the cubic Na Zn13-type structure with a small amount of α-Fe phase as impurity.The lattice constants and Curie temperature presented the same change tendency with increasing of Ce content.For the hydrides, the influence of Ce content on lattice constants was weakened and the values of H concentration y were approximate to be 1.56.The La1–xCexFe11.44Si1.56 compounds exhibited large values of isothermal entropy change –ΔSm around the Curie temperature TC under a low magnetic field change of 1.5 T.The value of –ΔSm increased and then decreased with increasing Ce content, reached the maximum, 26.07 J/kg·K for x=0.3.TC increased up to the vicinity of room temperature by hydrogen absorption for the Ce substituted compounds, but TC only slightly decreased with increasing Ce content.The first-order metamagnetic transition was still kept in the hydrides and the maximum values of –ΔSm were lower than those of the La1–xCexFe11.44Si1.56 compounds, but still remained large values, about 10.5 J/kg K under a magnetic field change of 1.5 T.The values of –ΔSm were nearly independent of the Ce content and did not increase with increasing x for the hydrides.The La1–xCexFe11.44Si1.56Hy（x=0–0.4） hydrides exhibited large magnetic entropy changes, small hysteresis loss and effective refrigerant capacity covered the room temperature range from 305 to 317 K.These hydrides are very useful for the magnetic refrigeration applications near room temperature under low magnetic field change.     

Phase Transformation and Magnetic Properties of NdxFe60.5-xPt39.5 （x=0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5） Alloys

The effect of Nd addition on the structure, phase transformation and magnetic properties of FePt based alloys was investigated. The results indicated that the transition temperature from ordered FCT to disordered FCC phase decreased with increasing Nd concentration, but for alloys quenched rapidly from the γ phase region into ice-water, it increased with increasing Nd. The Nd element not only effectively reduced the grain size of the ordered phase but also decreased the degree of the ordered phase and refined the grains of the FCC matrix phase. The remanence ratio and coereivity of the FePt based alloy as a function of the Nd content had maximum values, respectively.     

Magnetic and Transport Properties of La0.5-x Ndx Ba0.5 CoO3 Compounds

Substituting effects of Nd for La in La0.5Ba0.5CoO3 compounds were studied systematically. The results show that Nd doping does not change the itinerant properties of the Co3d electrons. The molecular magnetic moment of the mate-rials decreases monotonically with increasing Nd dopant. When Nd content x ≥0.45, a magnetic phase separation appears in the materials. When x ≤0.45, the Curie temperature decreases monotonically with increasing Nd dopant. This is due to the size effects of the rare earth ions. The electric resistance measurements show that in the studied temperature range, the conduction of the materials belongs to the thermo-diffusion conduction below the Curie temperature, while it belongs to the variable range hopping conduction of polarons over the Curie temperature.     

Nucleation undercooling,solidification structures and magnetic properties of Nd_9Fe_(85–x)Ti_4C_2B_x (x=10–15) magnetic alloys

Nd_9Fe_(85–x)Ti_4C_2B_x(x=10–15) magnetic alloys were investigated by differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that with the B content increasing from 10 at.% to 15 at.%, the liquidus temperatures TL of the alloys decreased from 1498.5 to 1472.5 K; the solidus temperatures TS of them increased from 1353.2 to 1358.3 K; and the nucleation undercooling of the alloy melts cooled at the rate of 40 K/min decreased from 122.8 to 95.9 K, resulting in the solidification structures consisting of Nd_2Fe_(14)B, Fe_3B, α-Fe, Nd1.1Fe4B4 and TiC nanocrystallines. Furthermore, the Nd_9Fe_(85–x)Ti_4C_2B_x(x=11, 13, 15) bulk alloys in sheet form with the thickness of 0.7 mm were prepared by copper mold suction casting and their solidification characteristics and solidification structures under sub-rapidly cooling rate were investigated. The results showed that partially amorphous structures were obtained in the as-cast bulk alloys and the amount of amorphous decreased with the increase of the B content. By annealing the as-cast bulk alloys at 923 K for 10 min, the nanocomposite microstructures composed with Nd_2Fe_(14)B, Fe_3B and α-Fe nanocrystallines, which showed a single-phase hard magnetic behavior and enhanced magnetic properties, were achieved.     

Electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of the nanocrystalline and amorphous（Mg24 Ni10 Cu2）100-x Ndx（x=0–20） alloys applied to Ni-MH battery

Melt spinning technology was used to prepare the Mg2 Ni-type（Mg24 Ni10 Cu2）100–x Ndx（x=0,5,10,15,20） alloys in order to obtain a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure.The effects of Nd content and spinning rate on the structures and electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of the alloys were investigated.The structure characterizations of X-ray diffraction（XRD）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） linked with energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS） revealed that the as-spun Nd-free alloy displayed an entire nanocrystalline structure,whereas the as-spun Nd-added alloys held a nanocrystalline and amorphous structure and the degree of amorphization visibly increased with the rising of Nd content and spinning rate,suggesting that the addition of Nd facilitated the glass forming of the Mg2 Ni-type alloy.The electrochemical measurements indicated that the addition of Nd and melt spinning improved the electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of the alloys significantly.The discharge capacities of the as-cast and spun alloys exhibited maximum values when Nd content was x=10,which were 86.4,200.5,266.3,402.5 and 452.8 mAh/g corresponding to the spinning rate of 0（As-cast was defined as the spinning rate of 0 m/s）,10,20,30 and 40 m/s,respectively.The cycle stability（S20,the capacity maintain rate at 20thcycle） of the as-cast alloy always rose with the increasing of Nd content,and those of the as-spun alloys exhibited the maximum values for Nd content x=10,which were 77.9%,83.4% 89.2% and 89.7%,corresponding to the spinning rate of 10,20,30 and 40 m/s,respectively.     

Influence of zirconium addition on microstructure, magnetic properties and thermal stability of nanocrystalline Nd12.3Fe81.7B6.0 alloy

Effect of Zr addition on microstructure, magnetic properties and thermal stability of Nd12.3Fe81.7B6.0 (x=0-3.0) ribbons melt-spun and annealed was investigated. Magnetic measurement using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed that Zr addition was significantly effective in improving the magnetic properties at room temperature. The intrinsic coercivity Hci of the optimally processed rib-boris increased monotonically with increasing Zr content, from 751.7 kA/m for x=0 to 1005.3 kA/m for x=3.0. Unlike the coercivity, the re-manence polarization Jr increased first with Zr addition, from 0.898 T up to 1.041 T at x=1.5, and then decreased with further Zr addition.The maximum energy product (BH)max behaved similarly, increasing from 103.1 KJ/m3 to a maximum of 175.2 kJ/m3 at x=1.5. Microstruc-ture studies using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) had shown a significant microstructttre re-finement with Zr addition. The absolute values of temperature coefficients of induction and coercivity were significantly increased with in-creasing Zr content, indicating that Zr was detrimental to thermal stability of the melt-spun Nd2Fe14B-type material.     

Electrochemical performance of La_(2–x)Sm_xMg_(16)Ni+200 wt.% Ni(x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) alloys

Nanocrystalline and amorphous La_(2–x)Sm_xMg_(16)Ni+200wt.% Ni(x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) alloys were prepared by mechanical milling technology. The structures of as-cast and milled alloys were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). Electrochemical performance of the alloy was studied by using an automatic galvanostatic system. The electrochemical impedance spectra(EIS) and Tafel polarization curves were measured by electrochemical workstation. The results indicated that the structures of the as-cast and milled alloys presented a multiphase structure with nanocrystalline and amorphous phase, moreover, transforming from nanocrystalline to amorphous phase with Sm doping. With the increase of Sm content, the maximum discharge capacity of the alloy was decreased from 922.6 to 649.1 m Ah/g, the high-rate discharge ability(HRD) was decreased, the cycle stability was strengthened, and the alloy exhibited excellent electrochemical kinetics. In addition, the charge-transfer resistance(R_(ct)) of alloy was lessened from 0.05874 to 0.02953 ? and the limiting current density(I_L) was descended from 2.08366 to 1.04592 A/g with increasing Sm content.     

Influence of Zirconium Addition on Magnetic Properties and Temperature Coefficient for Nanocomposite Nd10Fe78.5-xCo5ZrxB6.5 Magnets

The influence of Zr addition on magnetic properties and temperature coefficient for nanocomposite Nd10Fe78.5-xCO5ZrxB6.5 (x=0~4) bonded magnets was investigated. It was found that the room-temperature magnetic properties were remarkably improved with Zr addition due to the grain refinement and increasing volume fraction of the hard magnetic phase. The optimal magnetic properties of Jr=0.689T, iHc=769.4kA·m-1 and (BH)max=84kJ·m-3 were obtained for 2.5% Zr addition. The temperature coefficient of remanence (α) increases slightly and the temperature coefficient of coercivity (β) decreases obviously with increasing Zr content for nanocomposite Nd10Fe78.5-xCo5ZrxB6.5 (x=0~4) bonded magnets.     

Influence of Non—Magnetic Substitutional Atoms on Spontaneous Moment and Curie Temperature of Ce2Co17Compounds

The structure and magnetic properties of Ce2Co17-xMx(M=Ga,Al and Si)compounds for Mcomcentrations up to x=5 were studied by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements,The experimental results show that the Curie temperatures and Co spontaneous magnetization decrease significantly with increasing the addition of non-magnetic substitutional atoms,and that Si which has a minimum solid solubility ic Ce2Co17causes a largest reduction of Curie temperature,spontaneous magnetization and moment perCo atom compared with Ga and Al.     

Magnetocaloric properties,microhardness and corrosion resistance of Gd_(100–x)Zr_x alloys

With the intention to improve its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance,the magnetocaloric metal Gd was alloyed with Zr by arc melting and heat treatment.All Gd_(100-x)Zr_x(x=0,0.5,1,1.5,2) alloys with various Zr dopings showed hexagonal crystal structure.The Curie temperatures(TCs) of Zr doped alloys were lower than that of Gd by ~2 K.The maximum magnetic entropy changes of Gd_(99.5)Zr_(0.5) alloy under magnetic field changes of 0-2 T and 0-5 T were 5.27 and 9.41 J/(kg·K),respectively,which were larger than that of pure Gd metal.The addition of a small amount of Zr increased the microhardness of Gd by at least 29.3%.The corrosion resistance of Gd was also improved by Zr doping,demonstrated by increased corrosion potential and reduced corrosion current density in electrochemical polarization curves measurements.These enhanced properties were beneficial to the potential applications of Gd_(100-x)Zr_x alloys as magnetic refrigerants at room temperature.     

Influence of magnesium on electrochemical properties of RE3-xMgx(Ni0.7Co0.2Mn0.1)9（x=0.5-1.25） alloy electrodes

RE3-xMgx(Ni0.7Co0.2Mn0.1)9 (x=0.5-1.25) alloys were prepared by induction melting and the influence of the partial substitution of RE (where RE stands for La-rich mischmetal) by Mg on the hydrogen storage and electrochemical properties of the alloys were investigated systematically. These alloys mainly consisted of three phases, La(Ni,Mn,Co)5 phase, La2Ni7 phase and Mg2Ni phase. The P-C-T isotherms showed that with Mg content increasing in the alloys, the hydrogen storage capacity first increased and reached the maximum capacity of 1.36 wt.% when x=1.0, and then decreased with x increasing further. Electrochemical studies revealed that the discharge capacity reached the maximum value of 380 mAh/g and the alloy electrode presented better cyclic stability when RE/Mg=2. The high rate discharge ability of the alloy electrodes was also improved by the substitution of Mg for RE. The RE2Mg(Ni0.7Co0.2Mn0.1)9 alloy exhibited better hydrogen absorption kinetics (x=1.0).)     

The microstructure and magnetization reversal behavior of melt-spun (Nd1−xCex)-Fe-B ribbons

In this study,the alloy ingots with nominal compositions of(Nd_(1-x)Ce_x)_(31)Fe_(bal)Co_(0.2)Ga_(0.1)B(x=0, 0.1 wt%,0.2 wt%, 0.3 wt%, 0.4 wt%, 0.5 wt%) were prepared and then melt-spun to form nanocrystalline ribbons at the wheel speed of 20 m/s. XRD results show that all melt-spun ribbons exhibit the tetragonal structure(Nd,Ce)_2 Fe_(14)B phase with the space group P42/mmm. The Curie temperature and lattice constant decrease with the increase of Ce content. The Curie temperature decreases gradually from 306 to 247 ℃with the increase of Ce content. Those results indicate that Ce element has been incorporated into Nd_2 Fe_(14)B main crystalline phase and formed(Ce,Nd)-Fe-B hard magnetic phase. It is also found that the remanence ratio(M_r/M_s) decreases from 0.693 to 0.663 and the coercivity(H_c) decreases from 18.7 to14.2 kOe with the increase of Ce content. However, a relatively high coercivity of 18.3 kOe for(Nd_(1-x)Ce_x)_(31)Fe_(bal)Co_(0.2)Ga_(0.1)B(x = 0.2) melt-spun ribbon is achieved. The coercivity is sensitive to microstructure. The AFM patterns show the sample(x = 0.2) has the most uniform and finest microstructure. The magnetization reversal behavior(δM plots) is discussed in detail. The positive δM value is observed in every sample, which confirms the existence of exchange coupling interaction. Evidently, theδM maximum value reaches 0.9 in the sample(x = 0.2). It is indicated that the intergranular exchange coupling effect is the strongest, which is consistent with coercivity enhancing.     

Effects of precipitates on grain size and mechanical properties of AZ31-x% Nd magnesium alloy

The effects of precipitates on grain size and mechanical properties of as-cast AZ3 1-x%Nd magnesium alloy were investi- gated, and the affecting mechanism was also discussed. The results indicated that Al2Nd phase, AlllNd3 phase and a few AI-Mn-Nd-Fe phase were furmed when adding 0.38 wt.%-1.46 wt.% Nd into AZ31 melt, coarse AI2Nd transformed into Al11Nd3 gradually with the increasing of Nd content. Due to structure and size transformation and content increasing of AI-Nd phase, the grain size of AZ31-x% Nd alloy increased firstly, and then decreased with the increment of Nd content. After reaching a minimum value, once again it rose up, provided that Nd content was further increased. The tensile property reached its optimal value when the adding amount of Nd content was 1.05 wl.%, however, adding excessive amount of Nd deteriorated both ultimate strength and elongation ofAZ31 alloy.     

Effect of Gallium Addition on Magnetic Properties of Nd2Fe14B-Based/ α-Fe Nanocomposite Magnets

The influence of Ga addition on the crystallization behavior and the magnetic properties of nanocomposite Nd2Fe14B-based/α-Fe magnets was investigated. It was found that the addition of 0.2% did not change the crystallization temperature of amorphous alloy, but the magnetic properties were improved significantly because of the strong exchange coupling interaction between the hard and soft magnetic phases. The optimum magnetic properties with iHc = 600. 3 kA· m^-1, B r = 0.75 T, and （BH）max = 88.03 kJ· m^-3 were obtained in bonded Nd9.5（FeCoZr）83.8 Ga0.3 B6.5 magnet with 15 m·s^- 1 wheel speed and 670 ℃ annealing treatment. The apparent improvement of magnetic properties originates from the grain refinement calculated using the Scherrer formula from corresponding XRD patterns and the excellent rectangularity of the demagnetization curve.     

Effect of Gallium Addition on Magnetic Properties of Nd2Fe14B-Based/α-Fe Nanocomposite Magnets

The influence of Ga addition on the crystallization behavior and the magnetic properties of nanocomposite Nd2Fe14B-based/α-Fe magnets was investigated. It was found that the addition of 0.2% did not change the crystallization temperature of amorphous alloy, but the magnetic properties were improved significantly because of the strong exchange coupling interaction between the hard and soft magnetic phases. The optimum magnetic properties with iHc=600.3 kA·m-1, Br＝0.75 T, and (BH)max=88.03 kJ·m-3 were obtained in bonded Nd9.5(FeCoZr)83.8Ga0.2B6.5 magnet with 15 m·s-1 wheel speed and 670 ℃ annealing treatment. The apparent improvement of magnetic properties originates from the grain refinement calculated using the Scherrer formula from corresponding XRD patterns and the excellent rectangularity of the demagnetization curve.     

A Study of the Magnetic Properties of Intermetallic Compound RFe_(12-x)M_x

The structure and intrinsic magnetic properties of RFeM(M=V or Ti),type 1:12,have been studied bymagnetic measurement and X-ray diffraction.They are body-centered tetragonal ThMn_(12)structure.Thechanges of crystal lattice constants coincide with that of their element radii.Curie temperature is decided mainlyby the exchange interactions of 3d-3d and 3d-4f atom pairs.The data obtained by mean-field approximationagree well with experimental values.The magnetic moment coupling in these compounds for LRE isferromagnetic,and for HRE is antiferromagnetic.At low temperature,anisotropy field is decided by REsublattice.In this paper,the influence of magnetic properties of cobalt and nickel replacing iron has also beenstudied.     

Effect of substitution of aluminum for nickel on electrochemical properties of La_(0.75)Mg_(0.25)Ni_(3.5–x)Co_(0.2)Al_x hydrogen storage alloys

La0.75Mg0.25Ni3.5–xCo0.2Alx (x=0–0.09) hydrogen storage alloys were prepared by induction melting and effect of Al substitution for Ni on phase constitution and electrochemical property was investigated.With the substitution of Al for Ni,LaNi5 and LaNi2 phases occurred and (La,Mg)2(Ni,Co,Al)7 phase with hexagonal Ce2Ni7-type structure replaced (La,Mg)2(Ni,Co)7 phase.The cell volumes of LaNi5 and (La,Mg)2(Ni,Co,Al)7 main phases increased with increasing Al content.Some electrochemical properties and kinetic parameters of the alloys,including discharge capacity,high rate discharge ability (HRD),loss angle (ψ),exchange current density (I0) and limiting current density (IL),decreased with increasing amount of substitution of Al for Ni.Substitution of Al for Ni could be favorable for positive shift in corrosion potential of the alloy electrode,and prolonged cyclic lifetime of La0.75Mg0.25Ni3.5–xCo0.2Alx (x=0–0.09) alloy electrodes.     

Magnetocaloric Effect of Alloys Gd（Al1-x Cox ）2

The magnetocaloric effect in alloys Gd（Al1-xCox）2 with x = 0, 0.05, and 0.10 were investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD） and magnetization measurements. It was found that three alloys crystallized in a single phase with MgCu2-type structure. The lattice parameter and Curie temperature decreased with increasing Co content, whereas the magnetic-entropy change increased. With a magnetic-field change of 2 T, the maximum of the magnetic-entropy change reached 4.6 J·kg^-1·K^-1 near Curie temperature at approximately 95 K in the alloy GdAl1.8Co0.2, which appeared to be an alternative candidate for active magnetic refrigerants working in the temperature range centered at 100 K.     

Effect of Neodymium on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Sb Alloy

The effects of Nd on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Sb3 alloy were studied with the 0～0.15% addition content. The addition of Nd makes the grain of Mg-Sb3 alloy obviously refined, where the grain size decreases from 100～200 μm to 0.2～10 μm. And the typical dendrite characteristic turns into the equiaxed grain microstructure with the addition of 0.05%～0.1% Nd. The reason for grain refinement is from the supercooling theory. The mechanical properties tested indicate that the tensile strength and especially elongation of the alloys are improved with the addition of Nd and their maximum enhancing rates based on the Nd-free Mg-Sb3 alloy are 20% and 10% at 0.1% Nd, respectively. The main reason is attributed to the grain refinement by Nd. The tensile strength and especially elongation decline when Nd addition is over 0.1%, owing to the number and size increase of the needle-shaped phases on the grain boundaries with the Nd addition increasing.     

Crystal structure and hard magnetic properties of TbCu_7-type Sm_(0.98)Fe_(9.02–x)Ga_x nitrides

The compound Sm0.98Fe9.02–xGaxNδ(x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) were prepared by melt-spun method and subsequent annealing and nitriding. The Rietveld analysis showed that the lattice expansion played an important role in improving the Curie temperature. An obvious development of the Curie temperature was obtained with the increased Ga content from x=0–1(ΔTc=90 oC). The optimum coercivity of nitrides was obtained at x=0.25 with the value Hcj=652 kA/m(8.15 kOe) after annealing, which corresponded to a reasonable distribution of grain sizes of both TbCu7-type SmFe9Nδ and α-Fe. However, an excess of Ga doping might lead to an abnormal growth of α-Fe, which in turn deteriorated the magnetic properties. It was concluded that a moderate Ga content was very effective in raising the coercivity and Curie temperament in the TbCu7-type Sm-Fe-N.