Effect of Mn on the Microstructure and Magnetic Properties in Cu-Fe-Co Alloys

An attempt was made to study the effect of Mn addition on the formation of supersaturated solid solution of Co and Fe in Cu during ball milling and precipitation of the solute-rich phases during subsequent annealing of the ball-milled product. It is demonstrated that the addition of Mn in the ternary CuFeCo powder blend enhances the metastable solubility of Fe and Co in Cu and facilitates the formation of the nanocrystalline supersaturated single-phase solid solution. Field emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) also revealed notable influence of Mn on the morphological evolution of the ball-milled and annealed alloy powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the FeCo phase having the bcc Bravais lattice forms after annealing at and above 620 K (350 °C) in both alloys. Estimation of magnetic properties showed that Mn addition in the CuFeCo alloy improved the coercivity, remanence, and magnetic saturation.