Soft magnetic copper alloys processed by powder metallurgy

New high performance copper alloys have been developed by reinforcing with magnetic particles like Co, Fe, Ni, SmCo5 and NdFeB through the powder metallurgy route. Copper powders and the magnetic particles were mechanically milled together in a planetary mill at different rotating speeds. The resulting powders were consolidated through hot pressing in the temperature range of 700 and 750°C. The microstructure of milled powders and consolidated materials were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The compositional analyses were performed using EPMA and EDS. The magnetic properties were evaluated with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). SEM and EDS analyses showed a homogenous mixture of consolidated materials with the dispersion of ultrafine particles of magnetic phase which are responsible for the soft magnetic properties obtained. As electromagnetic fields have shown antimicrobial effects, controlled studies will be applied to improve the antimicrobial activity in soft magnetic copper alloys.