GREENE Results

At the M24 meeting in Parma, the GREENE consortium reviewed the progress achieved across all work packages and defined the next strategic steps toward the development of sustainable, RE-lean (≤30 wt. %) high-performance rare-earth permanent magnets for traction motor applications.

Significant scientific progress was reported within the first work package dedicated to multiscale simulations, where partners proposed a novel strategy to independently tailor the intrinsic properties of the Nd₂Fe₁₄B (2:14:1) hard-magnetic phase and the grain-boundary phases. The objective is to optimize both intrinsic and extrinsic magnetic properties while simultaneously reducing strain-stress interactions at grain boundaries. The consortium highlighted that only a limited amount of excess rare-earth content is necessary to form effective grain-boundary phases capable of magnetically decoupling neighboring grains, while carefully selected grain-boundary wetting promoters remain essential for establishing continuous grain-boundary networks.

Research activities in the next work packages – dedicated to the synthesis of feedstock and of “bulk”-embedded magnetic surfaces – continued to focus on the development of 2:14:1 single-crystal feedstocks approaching theoretical anisotropy fields, and on complementary alloy systems based on engineered grain-boundary phases and diffusion couples. In this context, the first successful physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating of 2:14:1 single-crystal feedstocks was demonstrated, opening new opportunities for tunable Nd-Fe-B grain-boundary-engineered systems.

These developments are closely connected with the work package dedicated to novel magnet production methods, where the consortium successfully demonstrated both conventional and radiation-assisted sintering routes on non-HRE-containing RE-lean feedstocks. Importantly, the results showed that the targeted magnetic properties can be achieved using heating cycles lasting only several minutes, instead of conventional multi-hour high-temperature treatments. This significant reduction in processing time not only suppresses detrimental grain growth but also represents an important step toward more energy-efficient and sustainable magnet manufacturing. In addition, in the work package dedicated to advanced analysis methods, the first magnetization microscopy measurements were performed on a model Nd₂Fe₁₄B system with alternating grain boundaries, providing new insights into local magnetic interactions and grain-boundary functionality.

At the application level, guidelines from industrial partners BOSCH and Magneti Ljubljana further refined the magnet properties and design for later traction motor integration strategy, aligning material and process development in these work packages with European industrial requirements and performance targets. At the same time, the consortium continues to advance the upscaling of production routes for both fresh and recycled powders, and the work package dedicated to sustainability published a baseline Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, highlighting the value of the non-HRE and RE-lean GREENE approach as an important step toward establishing robust and more sustainable European value chains for permanent magnets.

Beyond technical progress, GREENE partners remained strongly engaged in dissemination of knowledge and first results, stakeholders involvement, and future use of project results (so-called “exploitation”). In particular with the first scientific publication already released and several additional publications currently under preparation, the project continues to strengthen its scientific visibility and industrial impact. Another highlight is the strong synergies with related projects and initiatives such as the development of educational events for students and young professionals with BEETHOVEN and MagNEO in the “Talking Magnets series” – next session might be a Spring School in May 2027, don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to participate in the programme or attend!