Chemical surface modification for the preparation of MgO cladding to enhance magnetic properties of Fe-Si-Nb-B-Cu nanocrystalline soft magnetic composites

This study employed chemical synthesis and decomposition techniques to fabricate MgO insulation coating on the surface of nanocrystalline soft magnetic powder. It was found that this coating effectively suppresses the time lag effect in the magnetization process of soft magnetic materials under high-frequency alternating magnetic fields, consequently reducing the overall losses of soft magnetic composite materials by mitigating the time-dependent effects during magnetization. Specifically, at an MgO content of 0.8 wt%, the power losses of nanocrystalline soft magnetic composite materials decreased from 519.13 kW/m3 and 3665.78 kW/m3 to 277.69 kW/m3 and 2718.3 kW/m3 respectively, under alternating magnetic fields with magnetic induction strengths of 20 mT and frequencies of 1 MHz and 3 MHz. The MgO insulation coating effectively mitigated the relaxation phenomenon in the dynamic hysteresis loops of nanocrystalline soft magnetic composite materials within dynamic magnetic fields, reducing the adverse effects of internal eddy currents in high-frequency alternating magnetic fields, thereby confirming the close relationship between magnetic hysteresis losses and eddy current losses in soft magnetic composite materials. Additionally, with the increase in MgO content, there was a significant improvement in the quality factor of nanocrystalline soft magnetic composite materials, showing a decreasing trend in the imaginary part of the complex permeability, which reflects the magnitude of power losses. Furthermore, the positive response of MgO coating in enhancing DC superimposition performance and reducing inductance impedance values has been validated, underscoring its crucial role in improving the stability of circuit systems. •Preparation of MgO cladding layer by chemical surface modification.•The positive response of the MgO coating to enhancing the magnetic properties of Fe-Si-Nb-B-Cu alloys was validated.•This research has potential value in the research and development application of high-frequency power electronic devices.