Improvement of Curie temperature and magnetic entropy change of a Fe88Zr8B4 metallic glass by minor Nd substitution

A small amount of Zr in the Fe88Zr8B4 metallic glass (MG) was replaced by Nd and the fully amorphous Fe88Zr8-xNdxB4 (x = 2, 4) ribbons were successfully fabricated. The influences of Nd substitution on the glass formability, Curie temperature and magnetic entropy change (- & UDelta;Sm) of a Fe88Zr8B4 MG were investigated. It was found that the minor Nd substitution not only results in the improved glass formability, but also enhances the - & UDelta;Sm peak to -3.65 J/(kgxK) at 314 K for x = 2, and to -4.10 J/(kgxK) at 335 K for x = 4 under 5 T. The mechanisms for the weak spin-glass-like behavior and the improvement of - & UDelta;Sm induced by minor Nd substitution were investigated.

Automated summary

A small amount of Zr in the Fe88Zr8B4 metallic glass was replaced by Nd to fabricate fully amorphous Fe88Zr8-xNdxB4 (x = 2, 4) ribbons. The effects of Nd substitution on the glass formability, Curie temperature, and magnetic entropy change were investigated. It was found that minor Nd substitution not only improved the glass formability but also enhanced the magnetic entropy change peak.