How magnets work, and why they matter to future technology

By the Vrulum team

Sources checked: 24 October 2026.

Magnetic components sit inside technologies ranging from electric vehicles and wind turbines to medical equipment and robotics. This article explains where magnetism comes from in a material, how three kinds of magnet differ, and what recent sources say about the supply of magnet materials.

Where magnetism comes from

The explanation begins inside the material. The National MagLab explains that in ferromagnetic materials such as iron and nickel, groups of atoms band together in areas called magnetic domains. Within a domain, the individual atoms are aligned with one another and point in the same direction (National MagLab: magnetic domains).

The MagLab also provides an interactive tutorial that shows how these domains respond to an outside magnetic field (same source). The visible object may be a simple block, but its behaviour depends on what is happening within it.

Three ways to make a useful magnetic field

Permanent magnets, ordinary electromagnets and superconducting magnets are often discussed together. They solve different engineering problems.

Type	Where the field comes from	What the sources say
Permanent magnet	The magnetic material itself, such as NdFeB (see below)	Used in some electric motors (US Department of Energy).
Ordinary electromagnet	Electric current in a wire, often wound into a coil	Coiling the wire concentrates the field inside the coil (National MagLab).
Superconducting electromagnet	Current in a coil made of a material in a superconducting state	In that state the material offers no resistance to electric current (CERN).

The National MagLab says electromagnets are essential to the creation of electrical devices such as motors (National MagLab: electromagnets).

Superconductivity adds another set of conditions. CERN explains that a material enters this state below a critical temperature, and that a rise in temperature or in the applied magnetic field can destroy it. Type-II superconductors can preserve their superconducting properties in the presence of intense applied magnetic fields. A claim about a superconducting material therefore needs its operating conditions alongside the headline result (CERN: superconductivity).

Why magnets matter to electric motors

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical movement. The US Department of Energy page describes permanent-magnet motors as having magnets in the rotating part, the rotor, and current-carrying windings in the stationary part, the stator (US Department of Energy: electric motors research and development).

The same page describes research into lower-cost permanent magnets and magnetic materials, motors with reduced rare-earth content, and non-permanent-magnet motor designs. Those are distinct approaches: improving a magnet and redesigning a motor to avoid one should be assessed separately. A buyer needs evidence about the complete motor and its operating conditions before drawing conclusions about the finished product.

The materials challenge

NdFeB (neodymium, iron and boron) magnets are described by Natural Resources Canada as the most common type of permanent magnet used globally. Neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium are four of the key rare-earth elements used to make them. The page also shows why access to ore is only one part of the problem: the supply chain includes processing and separation, metal and alloy production, and magnet manufacturing (Natural Resources Canada: permanent magnets).

For readers following future technology, useful questions are whether a design can use less constrained material, whether recovered material can meet the required specification, and whether a process can produce consistent magnets at a commercially useful scale. These questions are more informative than a strength claim without a named application.

Can old magnets become new ones?

Researchers are investigating several recovery routes. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory published an abstract on 28 October 2023 describing a new electrochemical, room-temperature, one-pot method that separates and electroplates rare-earth elements from commercial Nd-Fe-B magnets, producing a neodymium-praseodymium based alloy. Only the abstract was reviewed. It reports a laboratory process and does not, by itself, establish a factory's economics or sustained output (PNNL: room-temperature electrorefining).

There is also a concrete UK development. On 15 January 2026, the University of Birmingham announced the launch of a magnet recycling facility at Tyseley Energy Park. It uses Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap, a method developed by researchers at the university (University of Birmingham: facility launch).

The university reports capacity of 100 tonnes of new sintered magnets per year on a single shift, and over 300 tonnes on multiple shifts. That is a stated capacity, rather than evidence that this quantity has been produced and sold. The announcement is a primary account from a project participant. It establishes a reported facility launch, while operating history and customer qualification require further evidence (same source).

What to watch next

When assessing a new magnet announcement, ask for the material composition, measurement conditions and intended application. For a motor, look for complete-system results. For recycling, distinguish recovered material, finished magnets, production capacity and actual deliveries.

A laboratory sample can be valuable evidence without establishing a mass-produced component. A factory opening is a different milestone from sustained production. This article makes no prediction about an arrival date for a new magnet technology.