Synthesis and magnetostrictive properties of Pr1−xDyx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 cubic Laves compounds

The structure, magnetic properties and magnetostriction of high-pressure synthesized Pr1−xDyx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 compounds were investigated. These compounds, which could not be readily synthesized under ambient pressure, exhibit single cubic Laves phase owing to the effects of high-pressure annealing. The Curie temperature increases with increasing x, indicating that 3d-4f coupling becomes stronger with the increase of Dy concentration. The saturation magnetization decreases with increasing x, which can be ascribed to the competition of sublattice magnetization. The easy magnetization direction of the compound lies along <111 > with x ≤ 0.05 while lies along <100 > when x ≥ 0.10. Meanwhile, the low-field magnetostriction λ∥ − λ⊥ of the compound system peaks at x = 0.05 and then decreases with increasing x, which reveals that the composition anisotropy compensation between Pr3+ and Dy3+ might be realized in Pr1−xDyx(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 system. Pr0.95Dy0.05(Fe0.8Co0.2)1.93 compound combines a large low-field magnetostriction (648 ppm at 3 kOe) and the merits of low-cost raw materials, which may make it a potential material for magnetostrictive application.