Included is a method of preparing a compound for bonded magnets, the method including: coating a magnetic material having an average particle size of 10 m or less with a thermosetting resin and a curing agent at a ratio of the equivalent weight of the curing agent to the equivalent weight of the thermosetting resin of 2 or higher and 10 or lower to obtain a coated material; granulating the coated material by compression to obtain a granulated product; milling the granulated product to obtain a milled product; and surface treating the milled product with a silane coupling agent to obtain a compound for bonded magnets, the method either including, between the granulation and the milling, heat curing the granulated product to obtain a cured product, or including, between the milling and the surface treatment, heat curing the milled product to obtain a cured product.

Some variations provide a method of making a nanofunctionalized metal powder, comprising: providing metal particles containing metals selected from iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; providing nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, or titanium; disposing the nanoparticles onto surfaces of the metal particles, in the presence of mixing media, thereby generating nanofunctionalized metal particles; and isolating and recovering the nanofunctionalized metal particles as a nanofunctionalized metal powder. Some variations provide a composition comprising a nanofunctionalized metal powder, the composition comprising metal particles and nanoparticles containing one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, and oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, or combinations of the foregoing.

Included is a method of preparing a compound for bonded magnets, the method including: coating a magnetic material having an average particle size of 10 m or less with a thermosetting resin and a curing agent at a ratio of the equivalent weight of the curing agent to the equivalent weight of the thermosetting resin of 2 or higher and 10 or lower to obtain a coated material; granulating the coated material by compression to obtain a granulated product; milling the granulated product to obtain a milled product; and surface treating the milled product with a silane coupling agent to obtain a compound for bonded magnets, the method either including, between the granulation and the milling, heat curing the granulated product to obtain a cured product, or including, between the milling and the surface treatment, heat curing the milled product to obtain a cured product.