Temperature-dependent Dy diffusion processes in Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets have been coated with 0.6 wt.% dysprosium and annealed at various temperatures to study the impact of the temperature-dependent Dy diffusion processes on both the magnetic properties and the microstructure. When optimum annealing conditions are applied the Dy processed magnets with initial coercivity of ∼1100 kA m−1 yield coercivity increases which can exceed 400 kA m−1 without a significant reduction of the remanent magnetic polarization. The improved stability against opposing magnetic fields can be observed up to a depth of ∼3 mm along the diffusion direction, restricting the application of the Dy diffusion process to either thin magnets or magnets with tailored coercivity gradients. While in the proximity of the Dy-coated surface, each grain has a Dy-enriched shell with a Dy content of ∼6 at.%; the Dy concentration decreases exponentially to ∼1.8 at.% after a diffusion depth of 400 μm and to ∼1 at.% after a diffusion depth of 1500 μm, as was found with wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. In the vicinity of the Dy-coated surface, the mechanism of the Dy-shell formation is attributed to the melting/solidification of a heavy-rare-earth-rich intermediate phase during high-temperature annealing. This is based on the observation that a constant Dy concentration over the width of the shells was found. Also an epitaxial relation between the Dy-poor core and the Dy-rich shell was observed by electron backscattered diffraction, which is supported by results obtained with Kerr microscopy.