Magnetic properties and microstructural characteristics of bulk Nd–Al–Fe–Co glassy alloys

Bulk Nd–Al–Fe–Co glassy alloys with diameter up to 5 mm were investigated by magnetic measurements, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) at room temperature. The results from the measurement of vibrating sample magnetometer show that these samples with compositions Nd65Al10Fe25-xCox (x=0–10 at.%) and Nd60Al10Fe20Co10 display hard magnetic properties with HC of ∼300 kAm−1, MS of ∼10 Am2 kg−1, and Mr of ∼7 Am2 kg−1. The MFM measurements of the Nd60Al10Fe20Co10 bulk metallic glass (BMG) reveal the existence of magnetic domains with a period of about 0.36 μm, and the ordered clusters with the averaged size of about 5 nm was observed by the HREM on the sample. The domain structure or cluster is believed to be associated with the appearance of hard-magnetic properties in this alloy system. The existence of the large-size domains demonstrates that magnetic moment of a great deal of ordered atomic clusters in the BMG has been aligned by exchange-coupling.