Effects of substitution of Dy for Nd on the structural and magnetic properties of Nd3−xDyxFe27.5Mo1.5 (0.3⩽x⩽1.8)

A series of Nd3−xDyxFe27.5Mo1.5 (0.3⩽x⩽1.8) intermetallic compounds were prepared. Their structural properties have been investigated using powder X-ray diffraction and their magnetic properties have been studied by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Rietveld refinement of the X-ray patterns shows that the lattice constants a, b, c and the unit cell volume V are decreased by the substitution of Dy for Nd. Mo prefers to occupy 4i1, 4i2 and 4 g sites due to the size and thermodynamic effects. The Curie temperatures TC of the 3:29 phases in all samples obtained by TMA measurements do not show remarkable changes. However, the saturation magnetizations of the samples decrease monotonically with more Nd replaced by Dy in compounds.