Properties of magnesium based composite powders exhibiting ferromagnetism produced by mechanical alloying

In order to fabricate Mg-based composite powders possessing magnetic properties, pure magnesium and Ni–Cu–Zn ferrite powders were mechanically alloyed (MAed) using a vibrational ball mill. Change in Vickers microhardness of the pure magnesium powders as a function of the mechanical milling (MM) times obeyed the Hall–Petch relation. Change in Vickers microhardness of the composite powders as a function of the amount of Ni–Cu–Zn ferrite obeyed the rule of mixture when the MA time was 2 h. On the other hands, a slope of Vickers microhardness of the composite powders as a function of the amount of Ni–Cu–Zn ferrite was higher than that of a theoretical value calculated from the rule of mixture when the MA time was 4 h and 8 h. Magnetization of the composite powders obeyed the amount of the Ni–Cu–Zn ferrite powder, whereas no systematic change for coercive force was observed. Mg-based composite powders exhibiting magnetic properties were successfully produced by mechanical alloying.