title: Correlative multi-scale characterization of a fine grained Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet.
abstract: The Nd-rich phases in pressless processed fine grained Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and three dimensional atom probe tomography (3DAP). The combination of the backscattered electron (BSE) and in-lens secondary electron (IL-SE) images in SEM led to an unambiguous identification of four types of Nd-rich phases, NdOx, Ia3 type phase, which is isostructural to Nd₂O₃, dhcp-Nd and Nd₁Fe₄B₄. In addition, the 3DAP analysis of thin Nd-rich grain boundary layer indicate that the coercivity has a close correlation with the chemistry of the grain boundary phase.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan. Electronic address: sasaki.taisuke@nims.go.jp.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hono
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Une
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagawa
keywords: 3DAP; Multi-scale characterization; SEM; TEM