We investigated the microstructural and magnetic property changes of DyCo, Cu + DyCo, and Al + DyCo diffusion-treated NdFeB sintered magnets. The coercivity of all diffusion treated magnet was increased at 880ºC of 1 st post annealing(PA), by 6.1 kOe in Cu and 7.0 kOe in Al mixed DyCo coated magnets, whereas this increment was found to be relatively low (3.9 kOe) in the magnet coated with DyCo only. The diffusivity and diffusion depth of Dy were increased in those magnets which were treated with Cu or Al mixed DyCo , mainly due to comparatively easy diffusion path provided by Cu and Al because of their solubility with Ndrich grain boundary phase. The formation of Cu/Al-rich grain boundary phase might have enhanced the diffusivity of Dy-atoms. Moreover, relatively a large number of Dy atoms reached into the magnet and mostly segregated at the interface of Nd 2 Fe 14 B and grain boundary phases covering Nd 2 Fe 14 B grains so that the core-shell type structures were developed. The formation of highly anisotropic (Nd, Dy) 2 Fe 14 B phase layer, which acted as the shell in the core-shell type structure so as to prevent the reverse domain movement, was the cause of enhancing the coercivity of diffusion treated NdFeB magnets. Segregation of cobalt in Nd-rich TJP followed by the formation of Co-rich phase was beneficial for the coercivity enhancement, resulting in the stabilization of the metastable c-Nd 2 O 3 phase.

Micostructural change and corresponding effect on coercivity of a NdFeB sintered magnet mixed with small amount of DyMn powder was investigated. In the sintered magnet mixed with the DyMn alloy-powder Dy-rich shell was formed at outer layer of the main grains, while Mn was mostly concentrated at Nd-rich triple junction phase (TJP), lowering melting temperature of the Nd-rich phase that eventually improved the microstructural characteristics of the gain boundary phase. The coercivity of a magnet increased more than 3.5 kOe by the mixing of the DyMn alloy-powder.