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Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets are crucial for high-performance applications, yet their fabrication by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is limited by defects, microstructural instability, and degradation of magnetic properties. This work examines printability, microstructure evolution, and defect formation in two Nd-rich gas-atomized Nd–Fe–B powders (Alloy A and Alloy B) as a function of laser power, scan speed, and hatch spacing. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) reveals that Alloy A consistently achieves > 99% relative density but attains a maximum coercivity of 0.58 kOe, whereas a specific processing condition for Alloy B reaches ~99.99% density with a coercivity of 0.49 kOe at higher energy input. These results demonstrate that the optimal LPBF processing window is strongly composition dependent, and the resulting insights provide practical guidelines for tailoring process parameters to improve the performance and reliability of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets. 

Abstract A bulk gadolinium (Gd) single crystal exhibits virtually zero remnant magnetization, a common trait among soft uniaxial ferromagnets. This characteristic is reflected in our magnetometry data showing virtually hysteresis free isothermal magnetization loops with large saturation magnetization. The absence of hysteresis allows to model the measured easy axis magnetization as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field, rather than a relation, which permits the application of Maxwell relations from equilibrium thermodynamics. Demagnetization effects broaden the isothermal first-order transition from negative to positive magnetization. By analyzing magnetization data within the coexistence regime, we deduce the isothermal entropy change and the field-induced heat capacity change. Comparing the numerically inferred heat capacity with relaxation calorimetric data confirms the applicability of the Maxwell relation. Analysis of the entropy in the mixed phase region suggests the presence of hitherto unresolved nanoscale magnetic structures in the demagnetized state of Gd. To support this prediction, Monte Carlo simulations of a 3D Ising model with dipolar interactions are performed. Analyzing the cluster size statistics and magnetization from the model provides strong qualitative support of our analytic approach. 

Magnetic materials are essential for energy generation and information devices, and they play an important role in advanced technologies and green energy economies. Currently, the most widely used magnets contain rare earth (RE) elements. An outstanding challenge of notable scientific interest is the discovery and synthesis of novel magnetic materials without RE elements that meet the performance and cost goals for advanced electromagnetic devices. Here, we report our discovery and synthesis of an RE-free magnetic compound, Fe 3 CoB 2 , through an efficient feedback framework by integrating machine learning (ML), an adaptive genetic algorithm, first-principles calculations, and experimental synthesis. Magnetic measurements show that Fe 3 CoB 2 exhibits a high magnetic anisotropy ( K 1 = 1.2 MJ/m 3 ) and saturation magnetic polarization ( J s = 1.39 T), which is suitable for RE-free permanent-magnet applications. Our ML-guided approach presents a promising paradigm for efficient materials design and discovery and can also be applied to the search for other functional materials. 

Neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectroscopy are employed to investigate the magnetism and spin structure in single-phase B20 Co 1.043 Si 0.957 . The magnetic contributions to the NPD data measured in zero fields are consistent with the helical order among the allowed spin structures derived from group theory. The magnitude of the magnetic moment is (0.3 ± 0.1) μ B /Co according to NPD, while the surface magnetization probed by XMCD at 3 kOe is (0.18–0.31) μ B /Co. Both values are substantially larger than the bulk magnetization of 0.11 μ B /Co determined from magnetometry at 70 kOe and 2 K. These experimental data indicate the formation of a helical spin phase and the associated conical states in high magnetic fields. 

The spin structure and transport behavior of B20-ordered CoSi nanomagnets are investigated experimentally and by theoretical calculations. B20 materials are of interest in spin electronics because their noncentrosymmetric crystal structure favors noncoplanar spin structures that yield a contribution to the Hall effect. However, stoichiometric bulk CoSi is nonmagnetic, and combining magnetic order at and above room temperature with small feature sizes has remained a general challenge. Our CoSi nanoclusters have an average size of 11.6 nm and a magnetic ordering temperature of 330 K. First-principle calculations and x-ray circular dichroism experiments show that the magnetic moment is predominantly confined to the shells of the clusters. The CoSi nanocluster ensemble exhibits a topological Hall effect, which is explained by an analytical model and by micromagnetic simulations on the basis of competing Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and intra- and intercluster exchange interactions. The topological Hall effect is caused by formation of chiral spin textures in the shells of the clusters, which exhibit fractional skyrmion number and are therefore termed as paraskyrmions (closely related to skyrmion spin structures). This research shows how nanostructuring of a chiral atomic structure can create a spin-textured material with a topological Hall effect and a magnetic ordering temperature above room temperature. 

Magnetotransport and ferromagnetism in thin films of Co2Si nanoclusters are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The nanoclusters are fabricated by an inert-gas condensation-type cluster-deposition method and have an average size of 11.3 nm. Unlike the bulk Co2Si that exhibits a very weak net magnetic moment only below 10 K, the nanoclusters exhibit room-temperature ferromagnetism with a substantial saturation magnetization. Key features of the system are its closeness to the Stoner transition, magnetic moments induced by spin polarization starting from surface atoms, and nonuniaxial anisotropy associated with the orthorhombic crystal structure of Co2Si. A method is introduced to determine the effective anisotropy using the experimental magnetization data of this complex system and its relationship with the two lowest-order nonuniaxial anisotropy constants. On decreasing temperature from 300 K, the nanoclusters show electron-transport properties unusual for a ferromagnetic metal, including an increase of Hall resistivity and a nonmonotonic change of negative magnetoresistance with a peak at around 100 K. The underlying physics is explained on the basis of the large polarization of surface spins and variation in the degree of their misalignments due to temperature-dependent effective anisotropy. 

Heusler compounds and alloys based on them are of great recent interest because they exhibit a wide variety of spin structures, magnetic properties, and electron-transport phenomena. Their properties are tunable by alloying and we have investigated L21-orderd compound Ru2MnSn and its alloys by varying the atomic Mn:Sn composition. While antiferromagnetic ordering with a Néel temperature of 361 K was observed in Ru2MnSn, the Mn-poor Ru2Mn0.8Sn1.2 alloy exhibits properties of a diluted antiferromagnet in which there are localized regions of uncompensated Mn spins. Furthermore, a noncoplanar spin structure, evident from a topological Hall-effect contribution to the room-temperature Hall resistivity, is realized in Ru2Mn0.8Sn1.2. Our combined experimental and theoretical analysis shows that in the Ru2Mn0.8Sn1.2 alloy, the magnetic properties can be explained in terms of a noncoplanar antiferromagnetic scissor mode, which creates a small net magnetization in a magnetic field and subsequently yields a Berry curvature with a strong topological Hall effect. 

Cobalt( ii ) ions were adsorbed to the surface of rod-shape anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals and subsequently heated to promote ion diffusion into the nanocrystal. After removal of any remaining surface bound cobalt, a sample consisting of strictly cobalt-doped TiO 2 was obtained and characterized with powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The nanocrystal morphology was unchanged in the process and no new crystal phases were detected. The concentration of cobalt in the doped samples linearly correlates with the initial loading of cobalt( ii ) ions on the nanocrystal surface. Thin films of the cobalt doped TiO 2 nanocrystals were prepared on indium-tin oxide coated glass substrate, and the electrical conductivity increased with the concentration of doped cobalt. Magnetic measurements of the cobalt-doped TiO 2 nanocrystals reveal paramagnetic behavior at room temperature, and antiferromagnetic interactions between Co ions at low temperatures. Antiferromagnetism is atypical for cobalt-doped TiO 2 nanocrystals, and is proposed to arise from interstitial doping that may be favored by the diffusional doping mechanism.