Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation

    High-performance SmCo5 magnets through coupling between amorphous and nanocrystalline phases: Theory and experiment

    Long-Fei Ma1,*, Ying-Zheng-Sheng Huang1,2,*, Qi-Yao Geng1, Wei Quan1, Lian-Jie Bi1, Cheng-Sen Ji1, Qiang Zheng1,†, and Juan Du1,2,‡

    • 1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, People's Republic of China
    • 2School of Resources and Chemical Engineering, Sanming University, Sanming, Fujian 365004, People's Republic of China

    • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • †Contact author: qiangzheng616@hotmail.com
    • ‡Contact author: jdu-case@hotmail.com

    Phys. Rev. B 114, 084423 – Published 24 August, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/dzts-gr4r

    Abstract

    Departing from the conventional method of coupling soft and hard magnetic phases to improve remanence, a novel paradigm is proposed, in which exchange coupling is engineered between an amorphous (Am) soft magnetic phase and a nanocrystalline (NG) hard magnetic phase. By tailoring the amorphous-to-nanocrystalline ratio, the remanence and maximum energy product [(BH)max] were concurrently adjusted. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the SmCo5 amorphous-nanocrystalline structure effectively facilitates the pinning of the amorphous phase by the hard magnetic nanocrystals during the demagnetization process, leading to a remarkable remanence enhancement. The simulated remanence ratio (Mr/Ms) increased by over 70%, from 0.52 to 0.89. Experimentally, SmCo bulk magnets with varying amorphous content were fabricated and characterized. The results show that the amorphous-nanocrystalline magnets exhibit an enhanced remanence ratio and improved (BH)max compared to the fully nanocrystalline samples. The underlying mechanism was investigated through a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques, including micromagnetic simulations of the magnetization reversal process, first-order reversal curve (FORC) analysis, and in situ Lorentz microscopy for domain observation. All results consistently indicate that the significant remanence enhancement originates from strong interphase exchange coupling between the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases. This approach offers a potential pathway for optimizing the performance of rare-earth permanent magnets.

    Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

    Authorization Required

    We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

    Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

    References (Subscription Required)

    Outline

    Information

    Sign In to Your Journals Account

    Filter

    Filter

    Article Lookup

    Enter a citation