What are permanent magnets made of?
Modern permanent magnets are made from special alloys discovered through research aimed at producing ever better magnets. The most common permanent magnet materials today are aluminum nickel cobalt (alnicos), strontium iron (ferrites, also called ceramics), neodymium iron boron (also called neodymium magnets or "super magnets") and samarium cobalt. (The samarium cobalt and neodymium iron boron families are collectively referred to as rare earths.)
