Electron back scattered diffraction characterization of Sm(CoFeCuZr)z magnets

Abstract

In permanent magnets based on the Sm2Co17 phase, the high coercivity depends on the presence of a complex microstructure, consisting of a Sm2(Co,Fe)17 cell phase, a cell boundary phase Sm(Co,Cu)5, and a Zr-rich platelet or lamellae phase. The aim of this work is to use electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) in order to identify the different phases present in the isotropic magnets produced from cast alloys with the composition of Sm(CobalFe0.2Cu0.1Zrx)8, where x = 0, 0.02, or 0.06, and correlate them with the different phases observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Due to the combination of careful surface preparation and high resolution microscopy, it was possible to observe the cellular structure characteristic of the 2:17 magnets in the SEM images. Until now, only transmission electron microscopy (TEM) had been used. Composition maps, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and EBSD measurements were used for doing the phase identification.