Competing anisotropy in the (Tm_xPr_1-x)₂Fe₁₇ system

Abstract

The magnetization curves of magnetically aligned finely powdered samples of the (TmxPr1-x)2Fe17 compounds have been measured at 4 K. The easy magnetization axis is oriented in the basal plane or along the hexagonal axis for the compounds with x = 0-0.3 and 0.7-1, respectively. This is because of the absence of magnetic ordering in the Tm and Pr subsystems in these ranges, respectively, and because of competing anisotropy of the subsystems. For the compositions with x = 0.4-0.6, both rare-earth subsystems are magnetically ordered and the easy magnetization axis is oriented between the basal plane and the hexagonal axis. The critical fields of FOMPs decrease quickly as the Pr or Tm content decreases in the ranges 0-0.3 and 0.7-1, respectively. The magnetization anisotropy also diminishes as the Tm content becomes smaller than x = 0.7. No influence of the intrinsic microdeformations on the magnetization of the compounds was detected.