An investigation was conducted comparing the corrosion behavior of NdFeB magnets in flowing hydrogen and in the heat and humidity of an autoclave. The results show that corrosion is both macroscopically and microscopically similar in both environments. In both cases, the corrosion progressed most rapidly in those areas where the magnetic orientation of the Nd2Fe14B matrix grains was perpendicular to the outer surface. A corrosion mechanism involving the reaction of hydrogen—either as a pure gas or as a by-product of the decomposition of water vapor—with the neodymium-rich grain boundary phase is proposed.

Abnormal grain growth was found in sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets which are made from powder milled after hydrogen decrepitation. The abnormal grain size in the magnets sintered at 1000 °C for 1.5 h was as large as 400 μm. The formation of abnormally large grains reduced the magnetic properties. As sintering temperature increased, the number of large grains increased and coercivity reduced. However, abnormal grain growth was rarely found when the magnets were fabricated without hydrogen decrepitation. A grain growth mechanism is discussed in relation to the effect of hydrogenation and sintering process.