Researchers Triple Coercivity Gain in Ce-Rich NdFeB Magnets With Grain-Boundary Engineering

Highlights

• Conventional DyHx diffusion in 13 wt.% Ce magnets yielded only 217.7 kA/m coercivity gain due to CeFe₂ trapping dysprosium at grain boundaries
• A two-step process using Pr-Al-Ga alloy pretreatment followed by DyHx diffusion achieved a combined 706.3 kA/m coercivity increase—more than triple the baseline
• The approach was also validated with TbHx, suggesting broad applicability beyond dysprosium
• Strategic implication: more cerium substitution plus more efficient Dy/Tb use could simultaneously reduce pressure on multiple critical rare earth inputs
• Commercial viability still requires evidence on manufacturing yield, cost, temperature performance, and mass-production scalability