Nd-Ce-Fe-B Magnet Study Boosts Coercivity 56.6% With Just 0.8% Dy-Cu-Al Diffusant

Highlights

• Perpendicular grain-boundary diffusion drove Dy 13.2% deeper into Nd-Ce-Fe-B magnets than parallel diffusion, reaching 154 micrometers modified depth.
• Only 0.8 wt% Dy-Cu-Al diffusant achieved a 56.6% coercivity increase, suggesting processing geometry can stretch scarce dysprosium further.
• Study used XRD, EPMA, SEM-EDS and TEM to confirm a more connected grain-boundary network enables deeper heavy-rare-earth penetration.
• Research is pre-commercial; industrial validation of throughput, reproducibility and cost at scale remains the critical next step for magnet manufacturers.