Dysprosium is a heavy rare earth element (HREE) with a metallic, bright silver luster. Dysprosium is never found in nature as the simple substance but found in various minerals like xenotime. Almost all of the world’s mine production of Dysprosium comes from China or Myanmar, with refined production concentrated in China. Although the Nd2Fe14B phase offers a very large energy product, remanence, and coercivity, it experiences significant declines as temperature increases, making it unsuitable for applications involving elevated temperatures. However, the high-temperature properties of the material can be enhanced by replacing a few percent of Neodymium with Dysprosium.
Dysprosium is typically used in the form of Dysprosium Iron (DyFe) alloy due to cost considerations. The nominal composition of DyFe alloy is 80% Dysprosium and 20% Iron. The price trend of DyFe alloy has a significant influence on Neodymium magnets price movement for high-coercivity grades, alongside the PrNd mischmetal price trend. To promote the rational use of rare earth resources, enhance supply chain stability, and achieve cost advantages, both magnet manufacturers and downstream consumers have been working to reduce or eliminate heavy rare earth elements like dysprosium and terbium. As a result, numerous HREE-less or HREE-free solutions have emerged, particularly grain boundary diffusion (GBD) technology.
