"The development of a new generation of permanent magnets is more urgent than ever in view of the demand for more efficient engines in wind energy, all electric cars and space applications. The purpose of this proposal is to exploit the opportunities available to fabricate powders of magnetically hard rare earth intermetallic nanoparticles/nanograins to develop new classes of anisotropic nanocomposite magnets with previously unattainable high energy products, (BH)max . We will use both ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches to develop these materials. This program will be directed towards the synthesis and investigation of magnetically hard powders consisting of anisotropic Sm-Co, Sm-Fe-N and Nd-Fe-B nanoparticles with sizes below 300 nm, and soft powders based on Fe(Co) nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 10-20 nm and with properties close to those of the bulk. We shall use a variety of different fabrication techniques including chemical and mechano-chemical synthesis, surfactant assisted milling, and cluster gun deposition. Research will be focused on the 2:14:1/Fe(Co), 1:5/Fe(Co), 2:17/Fe(Co) and Sm2Fe17Nx/Fe(Co) nanocomposite systems. Micromagnetic calculations will be used to model different architectures for the optimum performance using parameters including particle size and shape, the geometrical arrangement of the hard and soft nanoparticles, and hard/soft structures with core/shell morphology. These modelled nanostructures will be fabricated for comparison with theoretical predictions and further optimisation. The emphasis will shift towards the blending, alignment and consolidation of the hard/soft powder architectures to obtain the next generation bulk permanent magnets with a twofold increase of the (BH)max at room temperature i.e. up to 800 KJ/m3. To achieve this objective we have assembled an experienced multidisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers to develop these next generation magnets."