5. Conclusion

This project is part of a general study of the structural and magnetic properties of rare-earth-transition metal-based intermetallic compounds for 3rd-generation permanent magnets and high-density magnetic recording, for which new, increasingly high-performance alloys are in demand worldwide.

Among the transition metals, iron appears to be the most attractive due to its intrinsic characteristics and relatively low cost. In the family of non-conventional R-M intermetallics, Sm-Fe alloys are the most promising. The appearance of hard magnetic properties is achieved by substituting iron with small quantities of 3p elements such as gallium. These properties are considerably enhanced when a light element such as carbon is inserted into the crystal lattice.

Alongside high-performance intrinsic properties, extrinsic properties need to be optimized...