Simultaneous enhancement of magnetic properties and flexural strength in 2:17 type SmCo magnets induced by spherical WO3 particles doping

•The flexural stress of WO3 doped magnets increased by about 59%.•The addition of spherical WO3 particles improves the remanence and magnetic energy product of 2:17 type SmCo magnets.•The doping of WO3 particles can induce a high concentration of Cu in the cell boundary phase of 2:17 type SmCo magnet. The influence of spherical WO3 particles doping on the flexural strength and magnetic properties of Sm(CobalFe0.23Cu0.07Zr0.02)7.8 magnets was investigated. As the doping amount increased from 0 wt% to 2.0 wt%, the magnetic properties initially exhibited an increase followed by a decrease, with coercivity increasing from 32.77 kOe to 36.01 kOe and remanence increasing from 11.16 kGs to 11.28 kGs at a doping amount of 0.5 wt%. Moreover, the flexural strength consistently rose from approximately 80 MPa to 127 MPa, representing a significant increase of about 59 %. The presence of WO3 particles optimizes the magnet’s orientation and Cu distribution in the cell boundary phase, thereby enhancing both remanence and coercivity. Additionally, a significant decrease in grain size from 72.04 μm to 33.41 μm was observed, accompanied by a noticeable increase in the content of Sm2O3 phase, which positively contributes to the enhancement of flexural strength. Our research presents a novel technical approach for simultaneously enhancing the magnetic and mechanical properties of 2:17 type SmCo magnets.