Overcoming the trade-off relationship between magnetic and mechanical properties in non-oriented silicon steel through Mo-doped NiAl nanoprecipitates

A new type of high-strength non-oriented silicon steel was successfully prepared through Mo-doped NiAl nanoprecipitates to overcome the trade-off relationship between magnetic and mechanical properties for driving motors of new energy vehicles. Equiaxed grains of ∼ 18 μm with strong γ-fiber texture were obtained after annealing. High density of Mo-doped B2-Ni (Al, Mn) nanoprecipitates with average sizes of 5.6 and 6.8 nm was formed after aging for 0.5 and 16 h, respectively. Mo was nearly insoluble within the B2 phase and repelled from Ni (Al, Mn) with low diffusion coefficient, which effectively inhibited the coarsening of nanoprecipitates. Moreover, the dissolution of Mo atoms in the matrix minimizes the lattice misfit between the matrix and nanoprecipitates, a low lattice misfit of ∼0.45 % aged for 0.5 h resulting in excellent comprehensive properties with magnetic induction B₅₀ of 1.613 T, iron loss P_10/400 of 21.4 W/kg and ultra-high yield strength of 961 MPa.