Texture analysis of ultra-high coercivity Sm₂Co₇ hot deformation magnets*

Bulk anisotropic Sm₂Co₇ nanocrystalline magnets were successfully prepared by hot deformation process using spark plasma sintering technology. The coercivity of the isotropic Sm₂Co₇ nanocrystalline magnet is 34.76 kOe, further, the ultra-high coercivity of 50.68 kOe is obtained in the anisotropic hot deformed Sm₂Co₇ magnet when the height reduction is 70%, which is much higher than those of the ordinarily produced hot deformed Sm₂Co₇ magnet. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that all the samples are Sm₂Co₇ single phase. The investigation by electron backscatter diffraction indicates that increasing the amount of deformation is beneficial to the improvement of the (00l) texture of Sm₂Co₇ magnets. The Sm₂Co₇ nanocrystalline magnet generates a strong c-axis crystallographic texture during large deformation process.