Highlights

• Chinese researchers achieve a breakthrough in permanent magnets using a dual-alloy approach, simultaneously improving coercivity (17.69 kOe) and remanence (14.41 kGs) without heavy rare earth elements like dysprosium or terbium.
• Novel microstructural engineering at grain boundaries creates non-magnetic phases that enhance magnetic isolation, potentially reducing dependence on China-controlled heavy rare earths critical for EVs, wind turbines, and defense.
• Research from state-linked institutes and industrial partners remains pre-commercial but provides a strong foundation for scalable manufacturing of cost-effective, high-performance magnets.

A new study led by Xianjun Hu and colleagues, published in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (opens in a new tab), reports a significant advance in the development of high-performance permanent magnets without heavy rare earth elements—a long-standing goal for reducing cost and geopolitical risk.

Researchers developed a novel dual-alloy approach that combines low- and high-rare-earth compositions while optimizing processing conditions. The resulting “S3” magnet achieved simultaneous improvements in two critical properties: coercivity (17.69 kOe) and remanence (14.41 kGs)—a rare outcome, as these properties typically trade off against each other.

The breakthrough stems from precise microstructural engineering at grain boundaries, where the team induced the formation of non-magnetic phases—specifically an amorphous Nd-(Cu, Ga) phase and a continuous RE₆Fe₁₃Ga₁ phase. These structures improve magnetic isolation between grains, enhancing performance without relying on scarce elements like dysprosium or terbium.

Key implication

If scalable, this approach could reduce dependence on heavy rare earth materials heavily controlled by China—while maintaining high-performance magnet output critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense systems.

Current status

The work remains at the materials research and pre-industrial stage, providing a strong theoretical and experimental foundation, but requiring further validation for large-scale manufacturing and commercial deployment.

Research Team