Fabrication and magnetic properties of novel rare-earth-free Fe-Mn-Bi-P thin films by one-step electrodeposition

A novel Fe-Mn-Bi-P alloy film has been obtained by electrodeposition, and its structural and morphological features were characterized. Cathodic linear sweep voltammetry was used to study the electrodeposition behaviors of the alloy. The X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that the as-deposited and annealed Fe-Mn-Bi-P thin films consist of low-temperature-phase MnBi, Mn2Bi, and Fe3Mn7 phases. The as-deposited alloys exhibit the characteristic features of a soft magnetic and paramagnetic material. The coercivity of the annealed film was higher due to inter-diffusion reactions, structural relaxation, and the reduction in size and defects. The coercivity of the annealed film arrived at 53.4 kA/m measured at 60 K because of magnetocrystalline anisotropy.