Effect of spinodal decomposition structure of alnico alloy on magnetic viscosity and magnetization reversal.

• Effect of magnetic field intensity during spinodal decomposition on microstructure of alnico magnets. • The randomly oriented a1 phase reduces the decay rate of magnetization. • The main factor affecting the decay rate of magnetization is irreversible magnetic domain reversal. The slow decay of permanent magnet magnetization with storage time will greatly affect the accuracy of precision instruments. The alnico is a traditional permanent magnetic material with excellent stability, and the research on its stability cannot be ignored. Magnetic field heat treatment is a key process that affects the microstructure of the alnico alloy. The alnico alloys with different α1 phase orientations and aspect ratios were prepared by adjusting the magnetic field intensity during spinodal decomposition. With the increase of magnetic field strength, the aspect ratio of the α1 phase increases significantly, and the orientation becomes better, which leads to the increase of coercive force and remanent magnetization, but the magnetic viscosity coefficient decreases. The demagnetization process of alnico samples was characterized by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) and electron holography. At the magnetic field interval of 200 Oe, the area of irreversible magnetization reversal of the S3 is significantly larger than that of the S0. The first-order reversal curves (FORC) show that most the randomly oriented α1 phases are reversible magnetization reversal, and the interaction field is smaller than that of neatly arranged α1 phases. This structure results in better stability. The alnico alloy without a magnetic field during spinodal decomposition sacrifices some magnetic properties but obtains better stability, which provides a research direction for stabilizing treatment by adjusting microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]