ARTICLE IN PRESS

Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113

A study on the role of Nb in melt-spun nanocrystalline

Nd–Fe–B magnets
Zhongmin Chena, Y.Q. Wub,*, M.J. Kramerb, Benjamin R. Smitha, Bao-Min Maa,
Mei-Qing Huangc
a
Magnequench Technology Center, 9000 Development Drive, PO Box 14827, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-4827, USA
b
Ames Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, 136C Wilhelm Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
c
Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Peterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH 45433, USA

Received 14 February 2003; received in revised form 2 May 2003

Abstract

The effect of Nb substitution on the thermal stability of melt-spun powders with near stoichiometric 2:14:1
composition of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) has been investigated. It has been found that the thermal stability
is significantly improved with 1.5 at% Nb substitution. As compared with the ternary Nd12Fe82B6, the Nb-substituted
Nd12Fe80.5Nb1.5B6 powder exhibits remarkably increased coercivity (Hci ) over a wide temperature range of 22–180 C.
The temperature coefficient of coercivity (b) is reduced from
0.36%/ C at x ¼ 0 to
0.32%/ C at x ¼ 1:5: As a result
of improved coercivity and its temperature dependence, the irreversible flux aging loss (dirr ), measured on the epoxy
bonded magnets after being exposed at 180 C for 100 h, is also significantly decreased from
13.7% at x ¼ 0 to
5.0%
with x ¼ 1:5: Microstructure studies using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy have shown a
significant microstructure refinement with Nb substitution. Nb substitution also increases the amount of a-Fe phase in
the alloys. For x ¼ 0; the average grain size of the magnetically soft phase (a-Fe) is 15 nm, while the hard phase
(Nd2Fe14B) has an average grain size of 30 nm. The soft and hard magnetically phases are reduced to o10 and 10–
20 nm, respectively for x ¼ 1:5 and 3: Enriched Nb along the grain boundaries is believed to be the main reason for the
observed improved thermal stability in Nb-substituted powders.
r 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PACS: 61.46.+w; 68.37.Lp; 68.60.Dv; 75.75.+a

Keywords: Nanocrystalline magnet; Thermal stability; Microstructure; Nb

1. Introduction has been developed into an essential engineering

Since the discovery of the Nd2Fe14B compound in
the early 1980s [1,2], Nd–Fe–B permanent magnet
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-515-294-7587; fax: +1-
515-294-4291.
E-mail address: yqwu@ameslab.gov (Y.Q. Wu).
material in many industrial applications. However,
one of the major drawbacks of Nd–Fe–B magnet is
its poor thermal stability, which limits the applica-
tion temperature below 120–150 C. To improve the
thermal stability of Nd–Fe–B magnet, extensive
efforts have been made via the substitution of other
elements [3]. It has been found that, among all the

0304-8853/03/$ - see front matter r 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0304-8853(03)00481-5
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
106 Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113
substitutions studied, Nb substitution appears to be
an effective way to improve the thermal stability in
sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets [4,5] and in nanocompo-
site a-Fe/Nd2Fe14B magnets [6].
Former studies on the effects of Nb substitution
in cast and sintered Nd2Fe14B-based magnetic alloys
[7,8] suggest that Nb substitution will suppress the
amount of precipitated Fe, as well as form a Nb–
Fe–B intragranular precipitate, resulting in the
improvement of corrosion resistant [9]. Recent
studies on nanocrystalline a-Fe/Nd2Fe14B-based
magnets [10,11] (so-called exchange-spring magnets)
indicate that Nb substitution appears to refine grain
structure, possibly by increasing the nucleation
density and stabilizing the remaining amorphous
phase in the melt-spun ribbons. Research on the
effect of Nb substitution in Nd2Fe14B-based mag-
nets also shows that the presence of Nb suppresses
the thermally induced formation of poorly crystal-
lized Fe-rich regions [5] and forms stable NbFeB
phase in the homogenized state [12].
However, the effect of Nb substitution on the
nanocrystalline Nd2Fe14B alloy has not been well
understood yet, especially its role in improving the
thermal stability and microstructure evolution.
Thus, the present study is focused on the above
two points on melt-spun Nd12Fe82
xB6Nbx nano-
crystalline magnets, aiming at understanding the
role of Nb addition in microstructure control and
the thermal stability of the nanocrystalline mag-
nets, which would shed some lights on the future
design of the nanocrystalline magnets for scientific
inquiry and industrial applications.
2. Experimental
Alloy ingots with nominal compositions of
Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) were pro-
duced by arc-melting from Nd, Fe, Nb and Fe–B
constituents under an Ar atmosphere. The ingots
were remelted four times to ensure their homo-
geneity. Measured mass loss before and after
making the ingot is 0.005% and 0.012% for x ¼
1:5 and 3 alloys, respectively. Since the mass losses
are o0.1%, we can assume that the final composi-
tion is reflected in the initial charge. The arc-melted
ingots were broken into small pieces and melt-spun
under argon. The wheel speeds were chosen in
a range of 14–25 m/s. Ribbons with a width of
2–3 mm, a thickness of 20–35 mm and a length
ranging from a few millimeters to a few hundred
millimeters were obtained. The ribbons were
crushed and sieved to a size less than 240 mm.
The melt-spun powders were then annealed at
680 C for 4 min under an Ar atmosphere to
develop the desired nanocrystalline microstructure.
Demagnetization curves of the powder samples
were measured with a Lakeshore vibrating sample
magnetometer (VSM) with an applied field up to
20 kOe, from room temperature up to 180 C. The
samples were magnetized by a 45 kOe peak pulse field
prior to the VSM measurement. A demagnetization
factor of 0.21 was used to correct the demagnetiza-
tion curves. Additional magnetic measurements were
carried out using a DC SQUID magnetometer under
an applied field up to 50 kOe. The flux aging loss was
measured with an HCP-8 Helmholtz coil on epoxy
bonded magnets exposed at 180 C for up to 100 h.
The bonded magnets were made by mixing the
powder with a small amount of epoxy, pressing the
mixture at 7 ton/cm2 to form cylinder compacts, and
then curing the green compacts at 175 C for 30 min.
The size of the bonded magnets is 9.71 mm in
diameter and 6.4 mm in length.
Structural and microstructural studies were carried
out using a Philips X-ray diffractometer (XRD).
Plane-view and cross-section transmission electron
microscopic (TEM) observations were carried out by
using a Philips CM30 TEM. TEM specimens were
made from alloy ribbons and prepared by ion milling
at B5 keV using a liquid N2 cooled stage. Cross-
section TEM specimens were prepared by using the
common sandwich method. The Curie temperatures
of the powder samples were determined from the
thermomagnetic data taken in a Perkin–Elmer
thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) under an applied
field of 50 Oe, with a heating rate of 10 C/min.
3. Results and discussions
3.1. Magnetic property enhancement
The effects of Nb substitution on the room-
temperature magnetic properties, remanence (Br ),
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Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113 107

coercivity (Hci ) and energy product ((BH)max), on

(a) Nb=0 8
melt-spun and annealed Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0;
1.5 and 3) powder samples are listed in Table 1. 22°C 6

4πM (kG)
Since multiple samples were produced, the range in 100°C
values is given using both VSM and DC SQUID 150°C 4
results. It can be seen that Nb substitution leads to 180°C
2
a significant increase in the coercivity, but the
remanence is slightly decreased. The energy 0
product appears to increase slightly with increas- (b) Nb=1.5 8
ing Nb to x ¼ 1:5; then decreases considerably
when increasing Nb to x ¼ 3: Fig. 1 shows the 6

4πM (kG)
typical second quadrant demagnetization curves of 4
Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) powder
samples measured from 22 C up to 180 C. An 2
improved squareness is observed in Nb-substituted
samples, suggesting a more uniform and finer 0
(c) Nb=3 8
microstructure with Nb substitution.
It can also be seen from Fig. 1 that high- 6

4πM (kG)
temperature magnetic properties of Nd12Fe82
x
NbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) samples are strongly 4
dependent on the Nb substitution. In order to
clearly demonstrate the effect of Nb substitution 2

on the temperature dependence of the Br and the 0

Hci ; Figs. 2 and 3 are constructed using the data
obtained from Fig. 1. It can be seen from Fig. 2
that both Br and Hci decrease significantly with
temperature. However, the rates of decrease are
affected by the Nb substitution. As shown in Fig.
3, the temperature coefficient of Br (a) exhibits a
slight increase (in absolute value) with Nb
substitution (
0.17%/ C at x ¼ 0;
0.19%/ C at
x ¼ 1:5;
0.20%/ C at x ¼ 3), whereas the tem-
perature coefficient of Hci (b) decreases signifi-
cantly with Nb substitution up to x ¼ 1:5
(
0.36%/ C at x ¼ 0;
0.32%/ C at x ¼ 1:5).
Further increase of the Nb content to x ¼ 3;
however, results in an increase of b to
0.36%/ C.
Table 1
Magnetic properties of the Nd12Fe82-xB6Nbx (x ¼ 0; 1.5, 3)
alloys at their optimal condition.
Alloy Br (kG) Hci (kOe) (BH)max (MG Oe)
Nd12Fe82B6 8.74–8.82 8.6 15–15.5
Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 8–8.61 12.2–12.4 13.8–15.6
Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 8.07–8.18 13.2 13.7–14.2
The range of values given indicates both multiple batches of the
same composition and different instruments used.
-14 -12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0
Applied field (kOe)
Fig. 1. Demagnetization curves of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 powder
measured from 22 C up to 180 C for (a) x ¼ 0; (b) x ¼ 1:5 and
(c) x ¼ 3 samples.
The slight increase in a with Nb substitution is
believed to be due to the lower Curie temperature
(Tc ) of the 2:14:1 phase caused by the Nb
substitution (Tc ¼ 312 C at x ¼ 0 and 304 C at
x ¼ 1:5). The change in b with Nb content may be
attributed to the change of the temperature
dependence of the anisotropy field (HA ) of the
2:14:1 phase with Nb substitution, which requires
further investigation.
Fig. 4 shows the irreversible flux aging loss (dirr ) of
Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) bonded mag-
nets exposed at 180 C as a function of Nb
substitution. As can be seen, Nb substitution leads
to a significant decrease of the flux aging loss, with
the best (least) flux aging loss obtained in the
Nd12Fe80.5Nb1.5B6 magnet. For example, the irrever-
sible flux aging loss for the magnets exposed at 180 C
for 100 h is
13.7% for x ¼ 0;
5.0% for x ¼ 1:5;
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108 Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113

9 (a) (a)
-0.12

Temp Coefficient α (%/°C)

8
Br (kG)

-0.16
7

6 Nb=0 -0.20
22-100°C
Nb=1.5
22-150°C
Nb=3
5 22-180°C
-0.24

14 (b)
(b)
-0.32 X Data
12

Temp Coefficient β (%/°C)

10
Hci (kOe)

-0.36
8

6
-0.40
4

2
0 50 100 150 200 0 1 2 3
Temperature (°C) Nb Content (at.%)
Fig. 2. Variation of (a) remanence and (b) coercivity with Fig. 3. Temperature coefficient of (a) remanence and (b)
temperature for Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) powder coercivity of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) powder
samples. samples as a function of Nb content.

and
6.8% for x ¼ 3: This can be understood in the

light of the improvement of the high-temperature
coercivity by Nb substitution, as shown in Fig. 2. Nb=0
0
Nb=1.5
Nb=3
3.2. Microstructure evaluation
Flux loss (%)

-4

Since magnetic properties significantly changed

with Nb addition, and there is strong relationship -8
between the microstructure and magnetic proper-
ties of the nanocrystalline alloy, it is very necessary -12
to understand the details of microstructure evolu-
tion to further understand the effect of Nb -16
addition in the Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 alloys. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Fig. 5 shows the X-ray diffraction (XRD) Aging time (hr)
patterns of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3) Fig. 4. Irreversible flux aging loss of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0;
powder samples. The main appreciable change in 1.5 and 3) bonded magnets (with pc=2) exposed at 180 C as a
the XRD patterns is the peak broadening with Nb function of aging duration.
substitution, an indication of grain size reduction.
An increase in the a-Fe content is observed with tion of Fe-precipitate [6,7,11]. This will be
increasing Nb content, unlike former research discussed in the Discussion section of the present
showing that Nb addition suppresses the forma- paper. For the Nb-containing alloys, the X-
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Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113 109

Nd2Fe14B
between the measured and calculated XRD
(a) Nb=0
-Fe
patterns (lower line) for the x ¼ 3 alloy. The
NbFeB difference plot clearly shows the presence of a
third phase. This small peak at near 35 can be
indexed to NbFeB (2 0 0), and not to either the
Nd2Fe14B or a-Fe phase.
Since the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy shows re-
markable change in magnetic properties, this alloy
is the focus in the present work to study the
(b) Nb=1.5 microstructure evolution. In order to understand
the detailed microstructure evolution, three
regions through the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 ribbon
thickness, i.e., near-free surface, inner part and
near-wheel-contacted surface, are investigated in
Intensity (arb. unit)

both plane-view and cross-section TEM observa-

(c) Nb=3
20 30 40 50
(d)
30 35
2θ (degree)
Fig. 5. XRD patterns of Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 (x ¼ 0; 1.5 and 3)
powder for (a) x ¼ 0; (b) x ¼ 1:5 and (c) x ¼ 3 samples;
Rietveld refinement result for x ¼ 3 alloy is shown in (d).
ray-phase analyses indicated that the two alloys
mainly contain magnetically hard phase of
Nd2Fe14B and soft phases of a-Fe. Rietveld
refinement analyses using GSAS software [13]
was performed on all three alloys. Fig. 5d shows
the measured (dots) and calculated XRD pattern
for 2:14:1 plus a-Fe (solid line) and difference
tions. Figs. 6a–c show plane-view TEM bright-
field images of the above three different regions of
Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy, respectively. From these
figures, the microstructures from the free surface
to the wheel-contacted surface through ribbon
thickness appear to be a two-phase nanostructure.
Smaller grains in Fig. 6 are suspected to be soft
phases of a-Fe and NbFeB and large ones are hard
phase of Nd2Fe14B. The average grain sizes of the
small and large grains were determined to be about
60 70 15 and 25 nm at near-wheel-contacted surface,
about 10 and 15–20 nm at the inner part, about
less than 10 and 15 nm at near-free surface,
respectively, using the intercept method. Cross-
section TEM observations obtained from the three
regions confirmed a similar morphology as those
of plane-view observations, as shown in Fig. 7.
Fig. 8 is the grain size distribution histogram
measured from near-wheel-contacted surface,
which is clearly bimodal and can be fitted with
two Gaussian curves centered at two different
diameters of about 13 and 25 nm, agreeing well
with Figs. 6c and 7c. From Figs. 6 and 7, it should
be noted that the grain size distribution through
ribbon thickness is contrary to commonly reported
microstructures, i.e., grain size increases from
near-free surface to the near-wheel-contacted sur-
face. There are two possible reasons on the
inversion of grain size distribution. One reason is
the melt-spinning used in the present study
resulted in a cooling rate at the free surface higher
than that at the wheel-contacted surface of the
alloy ribbon, which is yet to be understood.
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110 Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113

Fig. 6. Plane-view TEM images showing the microstructures at the near-free-surface (a), inner part (b) and near-wheel-contacted
surface (c) of the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy.

Fig. 7. Cross-section TEM images showing the microstructures at the near-free-surface (a), inner part (b) and near-wheel-contacted
surface (c) of the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy.

The other possible reasons may be related to the

Fig. 8. Histogram of the grain size distribution at near-wheel-
contacted region of the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy, showing a
bimodel of the distribution (fitted with two Gaussian curves
centered at two different diameters).
different densities of nucleation sites frozen into
the ribbon during quenching, therefore, the free
surface has a higher density of nuclei which
produces more, smaller grains during heat treat-
ment. High-resolution electron microscopy
(HREM) observations at near-wheel-contacted
surface clearly show the existence of a-Fe phase
in the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy, as shown in Fig. 9,
and corresponding nano-probe energy dispersive
spectroscopy (EDS) analyses at the Nd2Fe14B,
grain boundary, and a-Fe regions (circled 1, 2 and
3 in Fig. 9) reveal that Nb atoms are enriched at
the grain boundary region, as shown in Table 2.
The beam size is 9 nm in diameter.
In order to understand better the effect of Nb
addition, TEM observations from the inner parts of
Nd12Fe82B6 and Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 alloys at their best
conditions are carried out for comparison. As
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Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113 111

α-Fe
3

2
1

Nd2Fe14B
Fig. 10. Plane-view TEM images showing the microstructures
of the Nd12Fe82B6 (a) and Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 (b) alloys at their
inner part region.

are about 10 and 15–20 nm, respectively, close to

Fig. 9. HREM image obtained at the near-wheel-contacted the theoretical calculation for the ideal condition
surface of Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy, clearly showing the in the nanocomposite magnets [14]. Hysteresis
existence of a-Fe phase in the alloy; EDS analyses were carried curve of the alloy obtained from DC SQUID
out at the three regions circled.
shows a saturation remanence ratio of mr ¼
Mr =Ms ¼ 0:69: Therefore, exchange-coupling ef-
Table 2 fect between grains should play an important role
EDS analyses on the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy (normalized in the alloy [15]. Nb has very low solubility in both
Fe+Nb+Nd=1.0) a-Fe and Nd2Fe14B phases; therefore, Nb atoms
Region Fe (at%) Nb (at%) Nd (at%) are expelled during melt-spinning and annealing
processes, resulting in the enrichment of Nb atoms
Hard phase (Nd2Fe14B) 85.074.3 0.671.0 14.471.7
Boundary 83.174.2 2.471.5 14.571.8 at the grain boundary region and generation of
Soft phase (a-Fe) 90.475.8 NDa 9.672.4 Nb-rich phase along grain boundary, which
a inhibits the grain growth and finally refines the
ND=not detected.
microstructure. The enrichment of Nb atoms at
the grain boundary may weaken the exchange
shown in Figs. 10a and b, both Nd12Fe82B6 and coupling between the phases, which may suppress
Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 alloys have a two-phase structure, the averaging effect of the magnetocrystalline
which is the same as that in Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy. anisotropy and cause a higher coercivity [16] in
In Nd12Fe82B6 alloy, the average grain sizes of the the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 and Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 alloys.
soft and hard phase are measured to be about 15 and The possible NbFeB phase may also be effective in
30 nm in diameter, respectively. In Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 pinning domain walls in the alloy, contributing to
alloy, the average grain sizes of soft and hard phases the increase of coercivity [17].
are less than 10 and about 15–20 nm, respectively. It is reported that Nb substitution suppresses the
Compared to Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy shown in amount of precipitated Fe in cast and sintered
Figs. 6b and 7b, one can see that microstructure is Nd2Fe14B-based magnetic alloys [7,8], and also it is
significantly refined with the substitution of 1.5 at% supposed that Nb additions act to bind up Fe to
Nb, but it does not change much with the prevent the formation of a-Fe in melt-spun
substitution of Nb from 1.5 to 3 at%. Nd2Fe14B [5]. However, according to X-ray analyses,
Nb substitution in melt-spun Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6
alloys is found to increase the amount of a-Fe in
4. Discussion the present study. This might be because Nb atoms
substitute for Fe in the alloy [18], resulting in excess
The average grain sizes of the soft and hard Fe formed in the alloys. According to our recent
phase at inner parts of the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy results [18], see Fig. 5d, Rietveld refinement of the
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
112 Z. Chen et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 268 (2004) 105–113
XRD shows that the lattice volume increased from
942.17 (12) A( 3 for no Nb to 946.67 (15) and 946.20
( 3
(20) A for x ¼ 1:5 and 3.0 Nb, respectively. The
peak shape profile modeled by a mixture of Gaussian
and Lorentzian showed a 50% increase in peak width
with increasing Nb. The weight fraction of a-Fe
increased from 1.75 to B2.25 for both Nb added
samples. There is clear evidence for the NbFeB
(1:1:1) phase for x ¼ 3 (Fig. 5). It appears that the
solubility limit for Nb into the 2:14:1 lattice is
exceeded for x > 1:5 as evidenced by no obvious
increase in the 2:14:1 lattice and the formation of the
1:1:1 phase for x ¼ 3:0 Nb.
TEM observations clearly show the existence of
a-Fe in the alloy. Although the amount of a-Fe
increased with the increase of Nb content, the
remanence of Nd12Fe79B6Nb3 alloy is slightly
lower than that of the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy.
This is because the former alloy has a sma-
ller average grain size of a-Fe phase than that in
the latter alloy. Also, the former alloy contains
more NbFeB phase which is detrimental to the
remanence.
On the one hand, enrichment of Nb atoms along
grain boundary stabilizes amorphous phase in the
melt-spun and annealing process of nanocompo-
site magnet ribbons [10], which is believed to be
main reason that thermal stability is enhanced by
Nb substitution in the studied nanocrystalline
Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6 magnets. On the other hand,
the formation of NbFeB will also contribute to the
thermal stability.
5. Conclusion
In summary, the role of Nb in thermal stability
and microstructural control in Nd12Fe82
xB6Nbx
(x ¼ 023) nanocrystalline magnets have been
investigated in the present study. The following
conclusions can be drawn:
1. The thermal stability is significantly improved
by a small amount of Nb substitution. The
addition of 1.5 at% Nb refines the grain size of
both hard and soft phases in Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6
alloys, resulting in a significantly improvement
of coercivity. Further increasing Nb addition up
to 3 at% only slightly improves the coercivity
but decreases remanence. The Nb, x ¼ 1:5
alloys also show improved high-temperature
magnetic properties and reduced irreversible
flux aging losses.
2. The Nb substitution refines the grain size of
both hard and soft phases in Nd12Fe82
xNbxB6
alloys, resulting in a significant improvement
of coercivity. Nb is found to be enriched along
the grain boundary region. Nd12Fe79B6Nb3
alloy contains the magnetic hard phase of
Nd2Fe14B and soft phases of a-Fe and NbFeB.
Exchange-coupling effect plays an important
role in the hard magnetic properties in the
alloys. Unusual grain size distribution is re-
vealed through the Nd12Fe80.5B6Nb1.5 alloy
ribbon thickness, i.e., grain size at near-wheel-
contacted surface is larger than that at near-free
surface.
3. Nb substitution is found to promote the
formation of a-Fe in the alloys.
Acknowledgements
The work at Ames Laboratory was supported
by the United States Department of Energy
(USDOE), Office of Science (OS), Office of Basic
Energy Sciences (BES), and the Technology
Research Division, Office of Advanced Scientific
Computing Research, through Iowa State Uni-
versity under Contract W-7405-ENG-82.
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