A comparison of τ-MnAl particulates produced via different routes.

MnAl alloys are very promising rare-earth-free permanent magnets. Nanocrystalline microstructures can have beneficial effects on the properties of magnetic MnAl alloys. In the present work we examined multiple routes to process MnAl alloys and studied the effects of milling on Mn-46 at.% Al powders. Mn54Al46 was produced via gas atomization, melt spinning, and rapid solidification rate processing. It was then mechanically milled using a water-cooled Union Process attritor for times up to 20 h. X-ray diffraction patterns showed the presence of mostly the high-temperature ε-phase with significant amounts of the equilibrium γ2 and β phases in both the cast and milled particulates. The powders were annealed for various temperatures and times in order to obtain the ferromagnetic τ-phase. Magnetic measurements of the optimally annealed powders showed a coercivity of 3.62 kOe and saturation magnetization of 59.8 emu g(-1) for mechanically milled gas-atomized powder annealed at 500 °C for 30 min.