Enhanced magnetostriction of 〈001〉 oriented Fe81Ga19 by non-rare-earth element doping

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that doping rare-earth elements is one of the few methods that have a positive effect on the magnetostriction of Fe81Ga19 bulks. However, in this paper, we will show that a cheap main-group element Sn has a similar effect on the magnetostriction as rare-earth elements. Fe81Ga19-xSnx bulks with 〈001〉 preferred orientation were fabricated using directional solidification process. Remarkably, the magnetostriction is improved by 17.5% when the optimal Sn doping is 1 at.%, i.e. from 228 ppm in undoped-Fe81Ga19 to 268 ppm in Sn-doped-Fe81Ga19. Microstructural characterization reveals that the formation of a higher density of the modified-D03 nanoprecipitates through Sn doping is a key factor in enhancing magnetostriction. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanism by which element doping affects magnetostrictive behavior and accelerate the design of large magnetostrictive Fe-Ga.