Permanent magnets with extremely high energy product for electromechanical devices

The theoretical maximum energy product of intermetallic compounds Nd2Fe14B and Pr2Fe14B is as high as 64 M Oe at room temperature. However, the actual energy product achieved in the laboratory is ~50 M Oe and the best commercial magnets exhibit only ~45 MG Oe. The inability to fabricate magnets with energy products close to 64 MG Oe is caused in part by 1) an imperfect grain alignment and 2) the presence of a large amount of non-magnetic secondary phases. We have conceived a novel processing technique that would dramaticlaly reduce the amount of secondary phases and at the same time improve the grain alignment. We propose to build a magnet fabrication facility that would enable us to realize magnets with energy products close to the theoretical limit. The proposed method reduces the number of steps in production and it is therefore expected that the overall production costs would remain competitive despite the need for stringent process control. We also propose to design and construct a few prototype electromechanical devices using the high energy magnets.