Samarium-Cobalt Magnet Review Maps 73% Strength Gain Without Sacrificing Magnetic Performance

Highlights

• A 40% fine powder blend boosted bending strength 73% to 202 MPa while largely preserving magnetic performance in sintered 2:17 Sm-Co magnets.
• Adding fine Sm₂O₃ particles cut average grain size nearly in half and raised bending strength 62%, from 114 MPa to 185 MPa.
• A 15-micrometer nickel coating increased fracture toughness 76% and bending strength 56%, among the largest mechanical gains reported.
• Liquid nitrogen treatment for 30 minutes improved bending strength 14.3% and impact toughness 7% without sacrificing magnetic performance.
• Researchers believe enabling amorphous shear band deformation—already seen in SmCo₅—could be the next major breakthrough for 2:17 Sm-Co toughness.