Structure, magnetic properties and Mössbauer study of melt-spun nanocrystalline Ce-rich ternary Ce-Fe-B alloy

Nanocrystalline ternary Ce-Fe-B alloys with a composition close to a Ce16Fe78B6 were prepared by melt spinning. The phase constitution and microstructure of the alloys were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy. 57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry was employed, allowing first to quantify the different phases, i.e. Ce2Fe14B and CeFe2, and then to estimate the values of their respective hyperfine characteristics. By combining with the magnetic measurements, the magnetic moments of both Fe and Ce atoms in Ce2Fe14B phase were estimated based upon the Wigner-Seitz analysis of the RE2Fel4B structure. This work thus provides useful and relevant information for the investigation and applications of Ce-based hard magnets.