A review of advanced magnetic and conductive materials for enhancing PMSM performance

The Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (AF-PMSM) has emerged as a critical topology for electric traction due to its superior torque density; however, its performance limit is increasingly defined by material constraints rather than geometric design. This paper presents a comprehensive review and parametric sensitivity analysis of advanced core, magnet, and conductor materials to quantify their impact on motor efficiency and power density. A comparative investigation is conducted on a 2.5 kW single-stator single-rotor AF-PMSM, evaluating the electromagnetic trade-offs of Soft Magnetic Composites (SMC), Cobalt-Iron (CoFe) alloys, Nanocrystalline cores, and Carbon Nanotube (CNT) composite windings. The study reveals that the impact of core material is heavily coupled to the magnetic excitation source; while core selection yields negligible efficiency gains (< 1%) under low-flux ferrite excitation, the integration of high-energy NdFeB magnets amplifies material divergence, with CoFe cores enabling efficiencies up to 90.29% by mitigating saturation. The research reveals a synergistic performance peak: a configuration utilizing Vacoflux-50 cores, N52 magnets, and CNT-Copper composite windings attains a maximum efficiency of 93.61%. These findings demonstrate that the holistic integration of nanocomposites and advanced alloys is a prerequisite for achieving the aggressive power density targets of next-generation electric vehicles.