Investigation of optimal route to fabricate submicron-sized Sm2Fe17 particles with reduction-diffusion method

Submicron-sized Sm2Fe17 powder samples were fabricated by a non-pulverizing process through reduction-diffusion of precursors prepared by a wet-chemical technique. Three precursors having different morphologies, which were micron-sized porous Sm-Fe oxide-impregnated iron nitrate, acicular goethite impregnated-samarium nitrate, and a conventional Sm-Fe coprecipitate, were prepared and subjected to hydrogen reduction and reduction-diffusion treatment to clarify whether these precursors could be convert to Sm2Fe17 without impurity phases and which precursor is the most attractive for producing submicron-sized Sm2Fe17 powder. As a result, all three precursors were successfully converted to Sm2Fe17 powders without impurity phases, and the synthesis route using iron-oxide particle-impregnated samarium oxide was revealed to have the greatest potential among the three routes.