High‐energy product Nd‐Fe‐B permanent magnets

We have explored the hard magnetic properties of melt‐spun Nd‐Fe‐B alloys. A maximum energy product of 14.1 MG Oe has been observed, the highest value ever reported for a light rare earth‐iron material. X‐ray analyses indicate that the alloys exhibiting optimum characteristics are comprised of roughly spherical crystallites of an equilibrium Nd‐Fe‐B intermetallic phase. The observed grain sizes are in or near the estimated single‐domain range, suggesting that the coercivity arises principally from the formation of single‐domain particles.