Magnetostriction of Laves Tb0.1Ho0.9−xPrx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 alloys

• The easy magnetization direction is detected by XRD on magnetic-field aligned powders.
• EMD rotates from <1 0 0> to <1 1 1> axis with increasing Pr content.
• Evidence is obtained for anisotropy compensation between Pr3+ and Ho3+ ions.
• The minimum magnetocrystalline-anisotropy is realized around x = 0.30.

Alloys of Tb0.1Ho0.9−xPrx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) are arc melted and investigated for structural, magnetic and magnetoelastic properties. The alloys possess predominantly the cubic Laves phase with MgCu2-type structure for x ≤ 0.20, while impurities are observed for x ≥ 0.30. The easy magnetization direction (EMD) rotates from <1 0 0> to <1 1 1> axis when x increases from 0 to 0.50, demonstrating the magnetocrystalline-anisotropy compensation between Pr3+ and Ho3+ ions. The linear anisotropic magnetostriction λa=(=λ∥−λ⊥)λa=(=λ∥−λ⊥) increases with increasing Pr content when x ≤ 0.30, ascribed to both the larger magnetostriction of PrFe2 than that of HoFe2 and the decrease of the resulted anisotropy due to compensation. The Tb0.1Ho0.6Pr0.3(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 alloy, close to the anisotropy compensation point, has the largest magnetostriction and a low anisotropy at room temperature.

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