When Masato Sagawa revolutionised industry by inventing a strange concoction of elements — neodymium, iron and boron — that could be powdered and sintered into an alloy of exceptional magnetic properties, little could he have foreseen that he was putting the world in the stranglehold of China.
By a quirk of fate, China not only has about nine-tenths of the neodymium discovered on planet earth, but also large swathes of sparsely inhabited land in the Inner Mongolia region, where it refines neodymium without facing as much as a murmur of protest over the environmentally hazardous process.
And today, China is flexing its biceps by placing export restrictions on neodymium. Magnets are at the core of everything from motors to transformers; China holds the cards.
“It is a global problem,” says Dr D Prabhu, scientist at Hyderabad-based International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), who has worked extensively on magnets.
Sobering challenges
On the quest for alternatives to magnets from China, Prabhu drove home a sobering reality. “All the leading scientists of the world,” he said, “are of the view that for at least the next two decades, there is nothing that comes even close to neodymium-iron-boron (NIB) magnets.”
The expert reeled out some discouraging numbers. NIB has ‘maximum energy product’ — a measure of the magnetic energy a material can store — of 35-52 MGOe (mega gauss oersted); the next best is samarium-cobalt, with 17-26 MGOe.
The common ferrite magnets have 3-5 MGOe. (The more familiar ‘tesla’ unit of magnetism measures the strength of a magnetic field at a given point.)
What about samarium-iron-nitride (SmFeN)? There are tomes of scientific literature extolling SmFeN’s virtues, with some even talking of it as a replacement for NIB. Mouthwateringly, samarium is available in sufficient quantities in India.
Sorry, says Prabhu. Indeed, SmFeN has MGOe numbers that can rival NIB’s, but it is impossible to produce through the conventional sintering process — the material decomposes at high temperature. Yes, one can make ‘bonded magnets’ with SmFeN, using materials like resin, but their MGOe numbers are much lower.
Despite these disheartening scenarios, India (and the world) may still have ways to counter China’s dominance over powerful magnets.
Way forward
Here’s what lies within the realm of possibility.
One, finding more neodymium is the world’s best hope. Australia has begun digging for it. With large uninhabited areas, it can possibly do its own refining, too. But that is just hope — and a long-term option.
Two, finding a way to make SmFeN magnets with high MGOe. Technologists are working furiously on this. In a paper published in Materialia, a group of American scientists (including three of Indian origin) say they have developed an SmFeN magnet with MGOe of 23.4, using metals such as aluminium, copper, iron and zinc as binders, instead of resin. The magnet, they add, displays high coercivity, which measures its resistance to de-magnetisation.
This option, too, is still in the labs; it must cross the ‘valley of death’ to the industry. Not an option for Monday morning.
Yet, the industry can switch to SmFeN bonded magnets wherever possible. SmFeN magnets with MGOe of around 25 are hitting the market.
A February 2025 market research found that these magnets are good for applications in certain areas of electric vehicles, robotics, consumer electronics and wind turbines. That said, it should be noted that SmFeN manufacturing technologies are heavily patented, and India needs to develop its own process. Some experts have called for a ‘national mission on magnets’.
Three, reducing the quantity of neodymium needed per magnet, by inventing processes that slash wastage — such as ‘near net-shaped’ magnets. While permanent magnets are typically made by magnetising blocks of material and then cutting and machining them to the desired size, near net-shaped magnets are made directly to the desired shape, cutting wastage of material.
In fact, such a process has been developed and patented by Sagawa, who has licensed it to ARCI. The ARCI is putting up a first-of-its-kind pilot project in Hyderabad. A team of ARCI scientists, including Prabhu, are in Japan for training. The project could start next month, and the first magnet is likely to roll out in six months.
Four, developing products such as EV motors that can work with indigenous magnets.
One example is a motor developed by Chennai startup Viridian Ingini Propulsion. The ‘permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor’, a kind of hybrid motor, uses ferrite magnets that can be easily made in India. Viridian is readying to produce these motors for electric two- and three-wheelers.
Sagawa, 81, is still active. It is not known if he rues the fact that his singular invention has unwittingly added geopolitical muscle to China, but the octogenarian may still have some tricks up his sleeve. He is said to be favourably disposed towards India. One lives on hope.