Coercivity of Nd-Fe-B-type Fine Particles Prepared from Different Precursor Materials

Fine Nd-Fe-B-type particles were prepared by ball milling of different types of Nd-Fe-B precursor materials, such as die-upset magnet, HDDR-treated material, and sintered magnets. Coercivity dependence on the grain and particle size of the powder was investigated. Coercivity of the milled particles was reduced as the particle size decreased, and the extent of coercivity loss was dependent upon the precursor material. Coercivity loss in the finely milled particles was attributed to the surface oxidation. The extent of coercivity loss in the fine particles was closely linked to grain size of the precursor materials. Coercivity loss was more profound for the fine particles with larger grain size. Contrary to the fine particles from the sintered magnets with larger grain size the fine particles (~10 um) from the die-upset magnet and HDDR-treated material with much finer grain size still retained high coercivity (> 10 kOe for die-upset magnet, > 4 kOe for HDDR-treated material).