PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LA2-XCEXFE14B COMPOUNDS

Pseudoternary La2-xCexFe14B compounds having the tetragonal Nd2Fe14B crystal structure have been prepared over the entire 0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 2 composition range. With appropriate heat treatment schedules, samples which were single-phase or nearly so were obtained for x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, and 2. Lattice constants (a, c), Curie temperature (T-C), and magnetization data are reported for each of these materials. We find that (i) a, c, and T-C decrease linearly with Ce content x; (ii) the magnetization at 5 K is essentially independent of x; and (iii) there is no evidence of the occurrence of Ce3+ over any range in x.