Fe30Co40Mn15Al15: A Novel Single-Phase B2 Multi-Principal Component Alloy Soft Magnet

Abstract

Soft magnets play a vital role in the efficient energy conversion in a variety of important industries including wide-bandgap semiconductors, electric vehicles, aeronautics and aerospace, particularly at high temperatures. Improving the efficiency of modern power electronics and electrical machines via advanced soft magnets has the potential to significantly contribute to global energy savings, thereby leading to a reduction of the associated carbon footprint. Here, we present microstructural characterization and property measurements on a novel single-phase B2-ordered multi-principal element alloy (MPEA) Fe30Co40Mn15Al15 with soft magnetic properties suitable for high-temperature magnetic applications. The MPEA exhibits a high saturation magnetization of 162 Am2 kg− 1, high Curie temperature of 1081 K, low coercivity of 114 A m− 1, and high electrical resistivity of 230 μΩ cm. Because of the good thermal stability of the B2 phase, these soft magnetic properties can be retained even after long-term anneals at 873 K, an important attribute for enabling the use of wide-bandgap semiconductors that operate at high temperatures.