Structures utilizing a structured magnetic material and methods for making

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of iron-aluminum alloy particles;

heating the iron-aluminum alloy particles to a temperature that is below the melting point of the iron-aluminum alloy particles but sufficiently high enough to soften the iron-aluminum alloy particles;

thermally spraying the iron-aluminum alloy particles;

causing the iron-aluminum alloy particles to oxidize to form insulating layers thereon, wherein the insulating layers are insulation boundaries;

depositing the iron-aluminum alloy particles onto a substrate to form an aggregate of permeable micro-domains separated by the insulation boundaries;

subsequently building up a bulk quantity of the iron-aluminum alloy particles on the substrate and on successive layers of the iron-aluminum alloy particles deposited on the substrate such that the aggregate of micro-domains comprises successive micro-domains forming the successive layers of deposited iron-aluminum alloy particles; and

heat treating the bulk quantity of the iron-aluminum alloy particles;

wherein particles defined by the iron-aluminum alloy particles and the insulating layers on the iron-aluminum alloy particles are arranged to form a densely packed solid layer in which a particle in the formed successive layer is substantially spherical on a top side of the particle and is adhered to, in contact with, and takes the shape of a particle in the formed preceding layer at a point of contact of a bottom side of the particle in the successive layer with the particle in the preceding layer;

wherein the micro-domains formed from the particles exhibit isotropy in three dimensions; and

wherein the particles of the micro-domains are substantially completely surrounded by insulation boundaries.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprise an alloy having a composition of about 89 wt. % iron, about 10 wt. % aluminum, and about 0.25 wt. % carbon.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein heating the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprises heating to less than about 1450 degrees C.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally spraying the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprises gas-atomizing the iron-aluminum alloy particles in a carrier gas.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally spraying the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprises using a high velocity air fuel system in which a carrier gas operates at about 900 degrees C. to about 1200 degrees C. to gas-atomize the iron-aluminum alloy particles.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally spraying the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprises using a high velocity oxy fuel system operating at about 1400 degrees C. to about 1600 degrees C. to deposit the iron-aluminum alloy particles as a thin coating.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally spraying the iron-aluminum alloy particles comprises using a low energy plasma spray.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the iron-aluminum alloy particles to oxidize comprises forming alumina on outer surfaces of the iron-aluminum alloy particles.