Dysprosium
Crucial additive to Nd magnets for maintaining magnetism at high temperatures—Strategic for EV traction motors and wind turbines.
Properties
Dysprosium (Dy): The Heart of High‑Temperature Magnets
Named from the Greek dysprositos ('difficult to obtain'), Dysprosium was discovered in 1886 by French chemist Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. True to its name, it took years to isolate in pure form due to high reactivity. In the modern era it found its strategic calling: as a crucial additive to neodymium magnets, allowing them to retain magnetism even at very high temperatures—making dysprosium irreplaceable in EV traction motors and wind turbine generators where heat is a limiting factor.
Key Applications
Market Data
Dysprosium (Dy): Stabilizer of Extreme Performance
Magnetic endurance under thermal stress; essential for high‑temperature NdFeB.
Strategic applications: EV motors, offshore wind, advanced control systems.
Industrial interest: secures performance and reliability of electrification; rising Strategicity with EV growth.
Risks & Substitutes
Extreme scarcity and high supply concentration; exposure to export controls.
Price volatility impacting NdFeB magnet costs.
Content reduction via grain‑boundary diffusion; alternative motor topologies (induction/reluctance) to limit Dy usage.