Magnetomechanical behavior of Tb0.2Dy0.8−xPrx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93/epoxy pseudo-1–3 particulate composites

The grain texture-oriented Tb 0.2 Dy 0.8− x Pr x (Fe 0.8 Co 0.2 ) 1.93 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) pseudo 1–3 particulate composites are fabricated by integrating alloy particles embedded in an epoxy matrix with the presence of a magnetic field. The structural and quasi-static magnetomechanical properties are investigated in comparison with their monolithic alloys and 0–3 type particulate composites. The -oriented 1–3 type composites for x ≤ 0.10 and -oriented one for x ≥ 0.25 are formed. The 1–3 composite shows the enhanced and reduced magnetostriction effects for x ≥ 0.25 and x ≤ 0.10, respectively, which can be principally ascribed to the formation of < uvw >-texture-oriented structure in 1–3 composite and the anisotropic nature in magnetostriction coefficients ( λ 111 and λ 100 ) of the embedded alloy particles. The 1–3 type Tb 0.2 Dy 0.55 Pr 0.25 (Fe 0.8 Co 0.2 ) 1.93 composite demonstrates the enhanced magnetomechanical properties, i.e., a high piezomagnetic coefficient ( d 33 ~ 1.8 nm/A at 80 kA/m) and a large low-field longitudinal magnetostriction ( λ || ~ 110 ppm at 80 kA/m), which are in excess of 80% its mother alloy values, even though it only contains 30 vol% alloy particles. These attractive magnetomechanical properties, together with the containing low-cost light rare-earth Pr for 25 at.% with insulating epoxy matrix, could make it technological interest for the field of Pr-containing magnetostrictive materials.