LAUSR

Abstract Amorphous ribbons with (Nd0.75Pr0.25)9.5Fe76X4B10.5(X=Nb, Zr) nominal composition were annealed by conventional and microwave-assisted annealing furnaces, respectively. The thermal decomposition process, structure and magnetic properties of products were characterized by a thermal differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The addition of Nb and Zr increased the glass-forming ability (GFA) of as-spun ribbons. The proportion of Nd2Fe14B and α-Fe could be adjusted with power from 800 to 2000 W in microwave annealing process, during which the well-coupling between the soft and hard magnetic phase and higher coercivity reached up to 780.2 and 815.4 kA/m for (Nb,Zr)-doped alloys. The best magnetic properties of ribbons could be obtained by annealing at 650 °C for 10 min under the microwave power of 2000 W.