Magnetic properties of melt-spun Pr-Fe alloys

Abstract

The magnetic properties of a series of amorphous Pr_1−xFe_x alloys (.45⩽x⩽ .90) prepared by spin melting are reported. Use of high purity constituents significantly increases the range over which Roentgen amorphous alloys can be obtained by this technique. The ratio of spontaneous to saturation magnetization (at 95 kOe) indicates that, over the composition interval 0.45⩽x⩽ .75, these alloys have sperimagnetic structures in which the Fe is ferromagnetic while the Pr moments are randomly oriented. At high applied field these alloys form collinear ferromagnetic structures. At reduced temperatures (20K) coercivities of over 4800 kA/m (60 kOe) were observed. Although exhibiting the pronounced temperature dependent behavior characteristic of non S‐state rare earth‐transition metal alloys, room temperature coercivities were still appreciable; a maximum room temperature value of 224 kA/m (2.8 kOe) was found at composition x = 0.6.