Effects of Nb on the coercivity and impact toughness of sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets

The effects of Nb on the coercivity and impact toughness of sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets have been investigated. The results show that the addition of Nb enhances the coercivity of sintered magnets, improves the microstructure and impact toughness of sintered magnets. The optimum impact toughness of sintered magnets was achieved when 1.5 at% Nb was incorporated. The reasons for improving the coercivity and impact toughness of sintered magnets are analyzed.