Spark plasma sintered Sm(2)Co(17)-FeCo nanocomposite permanent magnets synthesized by high energy ball milling

Nanocomposite Sm(2)Co(17)-5 wt% FeCo magnets were synthesized by high energy ball milling followed by consolidation into bulk shape by the spark plasma sintering technique. The evolution of magnetic properties was systematically investigated in milled powders as well as in spark plasma sintered samples. A high energy product of 10.2 MGOe and the other magnetic properties of M(s) = 107 emu g(-1), M(r) = 59 emu g(-1), M(r)/M(s) = 0.55 and H(c) = 6.4 kOe were achieved in a 5 h milled and spark plasma sintered Sm(2)Co(17)-5 wt% FeCo nanocomposite magnet. The spark plasma sintering was carried out at 700 °C for 5 min with a pressure of 70 MPa. The nanocomposite showed a higher Curie temperature of 955 °C for the Sm(2)Co(17) phase in comparison to its bulk Curie temperature for the Sm(2)Co(17) phase (920 °C). This higher Curie temperature can improve the performance of the magnet at higher temperatures.