An insulated covered soft magnetic powder in accordance with embodiments of the present invention comprises a soft magnetic powder having an iron content of 99.0 wt. % or more wherein at least part of the surface of the soft magnetic powder is covered with an insulating covering oxide. The insulated covered soft magnetic powder has a 50% volume cumulative particle diameter (D.sub.50) by laser diffraction/scattering particle size distribution measurement of 0.01 ?m to 2.0 ?m, an oxygen content of 0.1 wt. % to 2.0 wt. %, a carbon content and a nitrogen content of the entire insulated covered soft magnetic powder of 0 wt. % to 0.2 wt. %, and 0 wt. % to 0.2 wt. %, respectively. The total content of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen of the insulated covered soft magnetic powder is 0.1 wt. % to 2.0 wt. % of the entire insulated covered soft magnetic powder.

A powder for dust cores includes an aggregate of soft magnetic particles, each of which includes a soft magnetic metal particle, and a ferrite film that covers a surface of the soft magnetic metal particle and includes ferrite crystal grains having a spinel structure. A diffraction peak derived from the ferrite crystal grains exists in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern. By a method for producing a powder for dust cores, a raw material powder that includes an aggregate of soft magnetic metal particles is prepared. Furthermore, many ferrite fine particles are formed on a surface of each of the soft magnetic metal particles of the raw material powder. Additionally, the ferrite fine particles are coarsely crystallized through heat treatment to form a ferrite film, which includes ferrite crystal grains having a spinel structure, on the surface of the each of the soft magnetic metal particles.

A raw material for a magnet, which comprises Sm and Fe. A magnet is obtained by nitriding this raw material for a magnet. In particular, a raw material for a magnet comprises an SmFe binary alloy as a main component. An intensity ratio of an Sm.sub.2Fe.sub.17 (024) peak to an SmFe.sub.7 (110) peak is less than 0.001 as measured by an X-ray diffraction method.

A raw material for a magnet, which comprises Sm and Fe. A magnet is obtained by nitriding this raw material for a magnet. In particular, a raw material for a magnet comprises an SmFe binary alloy as a main component. An intensity ratio of an Sm.sub.2Fe.sub.17 (024) peak to an SmFe.sub.7 (110) peak is less than 0.001 as measured by an X-ray diffraction method.

Reduced iron powder that has fewer coarse inclusions, has excellent formability, has high porosity after sintering, has excellent reactivity per unit mass, and can be effectively used as reaction material even to the particle inside is provided. Reduced iron powder has an apparent density of 1.00 Mg/m.sup.3 to 1.40 Mg/m.sup.3.

An iron-based powder for powder metallurgy includes an iron-based powder and a composite oxide powder, and the composite oxide contains, by mass, from 15% to 30% Si, from 9% to 18% Al, from 3% to 6% B, from 0.5% to 3% Mg, from 2% to 6% Ca, from 0.01% to 1% Sr, and from 45% to 55% O.

A method of preparing a magnet powder, and a magnet powder, are disclosed. The method includes: preparing a neodymium praseodymium (Nd, Pr) mixed oxide containing Nd and Pr; preparing iron (Fe) oxide; preparing boron (B) oxide; mixing the prepared (Nd, Pr) mixed oxide, iron oxide, and boron oxide to prepare a first mixture; mixing the first mixture with calcium (Ca) to prepare a second mixture; inducing diffusion while shaping and pressing the second mixture; reducing the shaped and pressed second mixture to prepare a magnetic substance containing Nd, Fe, and B; powdering the reduced magnetic substance; and removing reduction by-products from the powdered magnetic substance.

Provided is a production method for producing pellets that are used for producing an iron-nickel alloy and that are produced by mixing at least a nickel oxide ore, a carbonaceous reducing agent, and an iron oxide and agglomerating the obtained mixtures, the method comprising: a step S11 for producing at least two types of mixtures having different mixing ratios of nickel oxide ore, carbonaceous reducing agent, and iron oxide; and a step S12 for forming pellets, which are agglomerates having a layered structure, by using the two or more types of mixtures such that the mixture with the highest content ratio of iron oxide, among the two or more types of mixtures forms the outermost layer.

A process for producing Co, Al alloyed NdFeB nanoparticles, by a microwave assisted combustion process, followed by a reduction diffusion process, includes the steps of: preparing a first solution of boric acid dissolved in 4 N HNO.sub.3, dissolving iron nitrate nonahydrate, neodymium nitrate hexahydrate, cobalt nitrate hexahydrate, aluminium nitrate, the first solution in deionized water to form a second solution, adding glycine to the second solution in a molar ratio of 1:1 to form a third solution, subjecting the third solution to microwave radiation, thereby forming an first powder of NdFeCoAlB oxides, mixing the first powder with calcium hydride in a mass ratio of 1:1.1 (NdFeCoAlB oxides:CaH.sub.2) to form a second powder, compacted into a powder block, annealing the second powder in a vacuum furnace, washing the annealed second powder with a solution of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; and vacuum drying the second powder.

A diffusion-bonded powder having an iron powder having 1-5%, preferably 1.5-4% and most preferably 1.5-3.5% by weight of copper particles diffusion bonded to the surfaces of the iron powder particles. The diffusion bonded powder is suitable for producing components having high sintered density and minimum variation in copper content. The iron powder may be produced by providing an atomized iron powder with an oxygen content of 0.3-1.2% by weight and with a carbon content of 0.1-0.5% by weight, and subjecting the atomized iron powder and a copper containing powder to a reduction annealing process in a reducing atmosphere to obtain the iron based powder.