Nd-Fe-B magnet inventor wins the 2022 QEPrize

Masato Sagawa, attending the 2014 International Conference on NdFeB magnets, received the 2022 QEPrize for his neodymium-iron-boron magnet invention. (Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Everyday technology that has become applicable to our lives may sometimes lack the recognition it deserves.  Now, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) aims to change that by putting them in the spotlight. Masato Sagawa, the inventor of the neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet, recently won the 2022 prize for his contribution. The magnet, hailed as the world's most powerful,  is used in everyday objects ranging from cars to computers.  

Nd-Fe-B is expected to become even more useful in the green revolution age. In this case, it will be integrated into renewable technology, including wind turbines. By the middle of the decade, the magnets market value could reach $20 billion. 

The QEPrize started as a biennial award, but that has transitioned to an annual event instead. Called the "Nobel for engineering," the winner also receives a £500,000 check and a trophy awarded by the queen or her representative.

Sagawa invented this magnet in the early 1980s when a samarium-cobalt (Sm-Co) combination was classified as the strongest permanent magnet. However, cobalt is rare. So, the scientist set out to develop an iron-based solution, leading to a more affordable and useful product. He achieved this by combining iron with neodymium and adding boron, which raised the Curie temperature. Overall, this presents important applications in a car as the engine compartment can generate heat.

In addition, the Nd-Fe-B technology is used for personal computing purposes. The magnetic field's strength, which can be provided in a compact volume, made it easier to develop lightweight hard disk drives. These magnets are part of the device that sweeps the read-write head across the disk. John Croat also came up with this solution while working at General Motors. Both are expected to share the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2022 Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies.

However, the judges decided to award Sagawa the QEPrize due to his manufacturing process. It's more costly than the American's smelt-spun and bonded product, but the result provides additional strength.

The 2021 QEPRize went to Holonyak, George Craford, Russell Dupuis, Isamu Akasaki, and Shuji Nakamura for their LED invention. (Image Credit: Justin Lane/Unsplash)

Just last year, Nick Holonyak, George Craford, Russell Dupuis, Isamu Akasaki, and Shuji Nakamura won the QEPrize for their LED invention. They earned a shared award of £1 million ($1.4 million) and received a congratulatory message from Princess Royal. In 2019, Brad Parkinson, James Spilker Jr, Hugo Fruehauf, and Richard Schwartz won the QEPrize for their GPS invention, which originally started as a military project.

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