The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Lee Jeong-hwan), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, is transferring the technology to develop high-performance rare earth permanent magnets using cerium (Ce) instead of expensive neodymium (Nd) to a company, and commercialization of cerium permanent magnets is expected to be in full swing along with securing price competitiveness.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science announced on the 3rd that it had transferred the ‘anisotropic rare earth bulk magnet manufacturing technology’ to Seonglim Advanced Industry Co., Ltd. (CEO Gong Goong-seung).

The technology transferred this time is a technology for manufacturing anisotropic rare earth bulk magnets using cerium (Ce) instead of expensive neodymium (Nd) in the development of high-performance rare earth permanent magnets.

The research team led by Dr. Lee Jeong-gu of the Materials Research Laboratory of the Korea Institute of Magnetic Materials focused on improving the phenomenon of deterioration of magnetic properties that occurs when using cerium (Ce), which is cheaper and has a larger production volume than neodymium (Nd).

The research team succeeded in simultaneously improving remanent magnetization and coercivity by suppressing the formation of the non-magnetic phase (REFe2) created by the existing addition of cerium (Ce).

This technology was developed through two years of research and development with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT's Materials Innovation Leading Project (Director: Yang Sang-seon).

Through this technology transfer, Seonglim Advanced Industry plans to utilize the Materials Research Institute's technology to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of high-performance rare earth magnets.

Existing holdingsIt is expected that the convergence of alcohol and the market will allow for product diversification and an appropriate response to the diverse needs of the market.

Seonglim Advanced Industry aims to produce a pilot-scale prototype in 2022 and establish a mass production line in 2023.

“The rise in material prices due to the use of expensive rare earth elements and the supply and demand for resources due to the increased demand for neodymium (Nd) could soon lead to market erosion if the technology cannot support this,” said Senior Researcher Lee Jeong-gu, who is in charge of the project. “If this technology transfer can improve the price competitiveness of our products and lead to the high specialization of materials, which in turn makes parts smaller and lighter, we expect it to provide the impetus to take the lead in the hybrid and electric vehicle, and flying car markets in the future.”