Effect of ultralow Dy and Gd contents on surface crystallization and domain wall motion of FeCuSiBNbMo alloys

Surface crystallization of Fe-based melt-spun ribbons with high saturation induction leads to the formation of coarse grains after nanocrystallization, which results in a deterioration of the soft magnetic properties. Herein, doping with an ultralow concentration (0.1 at.%) of RE (RE = Dy and Gd) inhibits the surface crystallization of melt-spun FeCuSiBNbMo samples using industrial-grade Nb-Fe raw materials. This inhibition of surface crys-tallization promotes the formation of uniform and ultrafine nanograins after optimal annealing. Furthermore, the movement of domain wall is significantly affected by the presence of large grains (+/- 600 nm) in the free surface, which exerts a strong pinning effect on the domain wall motion. This pinning effect can be attributed to the higher magnetic anisotropy energy of the free surface compared to that of the nanocrystal region. The low coercivity observed in the samples with 0.1 at.% Dy and Gd addition is ascribed to the presence of dense and ultrafine nanocrystals, low effective magnetic anisotropy, and a weak pinning effect. This work provides insights into the relationship between surface crystallization, coercivity, domain wall motion, and magnetic anisotropy energy in Fe-based nanocrystalline ribbons.