Substitutes

Substitutes and Alternatives for Dysprosium

The availability of viable substitutes is a key factor in assessing Dysprosium's criticality. Across its 2 primary applications, substitution options range from commercially viable alternatives with performance trade-offs to applications where Dysprosium currently has no effective substitute.

Substitution Analysis by Application

The following table details available substitutes for Dysprosium across its primary applications, including the trade-offs involved:

Performance Trade-offs

In most applications, substituting Dysprosium involves measurable performance penalties. Terbium can substitute for dysprosium but is rarer and more expensive; grain boundary diffusion process reduces Dy requirement by 30-50% but cannot eliminate it for high-temperature motors. In high-performance applications such as neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets, these trade-offs can be particularly significant.

Research and Development

Active research programs are underway to develop improved substitutes and to reduce the amount of Dysprosium required per unit of product (thrifting). However, timelines for commercializing new alternatives typically span years to decades. The limited substitutability of Dysprosium is a primary driver of its high criticality rating, prompting government-funded substitution research programs.