A Comparative Study of the Magnetic Properties of FeMnCoNi Multi Principal Element Alloy Thin Films

Rare earth magnets are nearly ubiquitous in society and are used in variety of applications including wind turbines, permanent magnet motors, electric vehicles etc. However, the process of acquiring rare earth magnets is tedious and they are sourced in limited areas. Multi Principal Element Alloys (MPEAs) have emerged as alternatives for applications as permanent magnets. MPEAs are alloys of 4 or more principal constituent elements. MPEAs have great mechanical properties like high temperature toughness, but their magnetic properties are not clearly understood. To this effect, this research focused on understanding magnetization behavior of FeMnCoNi thin films over time. Thin films were used because they show orders of magnitude higher magnetization compared to bulk samples. The films were grown by Magnetron Sputtering and were characterized using a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The research produced and studied 5 samples of Fe_x(MnCoNi)_1-x ,(x = 0, 0.1,0.15,0.2), with 2 (x = 0) samples. These studies show that the magnetization of MPEA films varies slightly with time either due to sluggish diffusion or oxidation. The current results of the comparative study and possible interpretations for the variation in magnetization are discussed in detail on a poster designed for the work.