Effects of Mo doping on the phase transformation behaviors and the magnetic properties of rare-earth-free MnBi alloy

The high-performance rare-earth-free low-temperature phase Mn–Bi-based permanent magnet alloys (LTP-MnBi) have gained widespread attention, but it still presents a challenge. Here, the LTP-MnBi alloy with Mo element doping was prepared by using arc-melting and subsequent high-vacuum annealing. The crystalline structure, phase transformation behavior, and magnetic properties were systematically investigated. The result showed that Mo element doping significantly improved the stability of the LTP in MnBi alloy. The investigation revealed that the disparity in atomic radius between Mo and Mn, Bi elements played a pivotal role in the formation and stability of the LTP-MnBi. With the increase of Mo content in the LTP-MnBi alloy, the coercivity value remarkably increased from 8.1 kOe to 11.7 kOe with a decrease of saturation magnetization from 71.6 emu/g to 56.5 emu/g, and the maximum energy product gradually reduced from 10.6 MGOe to 7.9 MGOe. The underlying mechanism revealed that magnetic properties were closely related to the fraction and crystal structure of LTP-MnBi. Therefore, magnetic properties of Mo-doped MnBi alloy make them an attractive candidate among the rare-earth-free permanent magnets.