(State Key Laboratory of Baiyunobo Rare Earth Resource Researches and Comprehensive Utilization, Baotou Research Institute of Rare Earths, Baotou 014030, China)
Samarium alloy is considered to be a potential function material, which has changeable electrovalence character, is widely used as permanentmagnetic, hydrogen-storage, luminescent and aerospace materials. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the current methods for preparing Sm alloys were systematically compared. In contrast, the molten salt electrolysis preparation has the advantages of purer products, low cost, and continuous operation, which makes this method a research hotspot in current research. The latest research progress and existing problems on the preparation of Sm-Al, Sm-Cu, Sm-Co, Sm-Ni and Sm-Fe alloys by molten salt electrolysis were emphatically described, and the electrochemical behaviors of Sm3+ in molten salt and the formation rule of Sm alloy on the cathode were introduced. The direction of further industrialization of Sm alloy prepared by molten salt electrolysis was also put forward.