Coercivity enhancement of melt-spun Nd-Fe-B ribbons using low-level Cu additions

We have explored the impact of low-level Cu additions on the magnetic properties of melt-spun Nd-Fe-B ribbons. The addition of 0.5 at. % Cu enhances the intrinsic coercivity as much as 30% over that of Cu-free materials. Transmission electron microscopy analyses demonstrate that Cu segregates preferentially to the intergranular regions.