Nanophase hard magnets

The dramatic developments that occurred in nanophase hard magnetic materials over the last two decades are review ed. Much of the research was done after the discovery of Nd2Fe14B-based magnets in an attempt to develop more economical Fe-based magnets with better properties. This led to the discovery of 1 : 12-based magnets, 2 : 17 nitrides and carbides, and more recently, to nanocomposite magnets consisting of a fine mixture of exchange coupled soft and hard phases. Currently, much emphasis is devoted to nanocomposite films consisting of nanoparticles of a high anisotropy material embedded in a non-magnetic matrix because they have a great potential for applications in high density recording media. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.