High-performance multiphase Sm-Co-B alloys with coercivities up to 6.71 MA·m^-1

SmCo₄B-based alloys with high magnetocrystalline anisotropy are expected to be used as raw materials or constituent phases for new permanent magnets. In this work, we develop Sm(Co, Fe, Ni)₄B alloys with excellent hard magnetic properties by tuning the contents of Fe, Co, and Ni. The addition of Fe enhances the amorphous formation ability of the as-spun ribbons, whereas Ni addition improves the structural stability of the crystalline phases. During annealing, the amorphous phase crystallizes into different Sm-Co-B phases in stages. A high coercivity of 5.68-6.71 MA·m^-1 is obtained in the annealed SmCo_4-x-yFe_xNi_yB (x = 1.0-2.0, y = 0.8-1.0) ribbons composed of platelet-shaped and equiaxed grains in comparison with the coercivity of 2.89-5.18 MA·m^-1 in the x = 1.0-1.2 and y = 0-0.8 ribbons with equiaxed grains. Here, we show the strong correlations between the microstructure and magnetic properties and provide insights for the future development of high-performance SmCo₄B-based magnets.