Modeling of magnetic properties of polymer bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets with surface modifications

The effects of surface modification on the magnetic properties of polymer-bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets have been studied. Two sets of Nd-Fe-B powders, coated and uncoated, were blended and compression molded with polyphenylene sulfide in isotropic form. Their magnetic properties were measured using a Helmholtz coir and a SQUID. The results showed that the effect of the coating significantly improved the irreversible loss in flux and energy product of the polymer-bonded magnets. The results have been interpreted using an isotropic model of hysteresis that takes into account energy losses. The modeling showed that the presence of soft magnetic materials in the Nd-Fe-B powders caused by oxidation reduces the interaction among magnetic particles, however, the coating treatment alters the magnetic properties by increasing the remanence of polymer-bonded magnets via increasing the interparticle coupling coefficient. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.