Magnetic hardening of high-energy ball-milled nanocrystalline LaMn2Si2

Nanocrystalline LaMn2Si2 powders have been obtained by high-energy ball milling for 30 min from bulk alloys. After milling a high coercivity about 6 kOe is observed at 10 K in contrast to neglectable coercivity for the bulk LaMn2Si2 at 5 K. The average grain size of the optimum particles which is obtained from X-ray diffraction pattern and HRTEM picture is about 20 nm. The magnetic hardening is observed for the nanocrystalline LaMn2Si2, reflected in the coercivity field strength of 6 kOe at 10 K.