Scientists Race to Engineer a New Magnet for Electronics

[Clyde38]

Is there any truth to this?

http://www.livescience.com/technology/new-generation-magnets-rare-earths-100409.html

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[MagnetDave]

You are getting into some fairly controversial areas of the magnet industry here. I have some strong opinions here, but I will try to keep them out of this.

Hadjipanayis is probably the brightest mind in the United States on rare earth magnets, and definitely the most accomplished. The opinions range from "He is just trying to promote his research like any other professor" to "why isn't anyone else trying to solve this?" The questions about the rare earth supply are dominating a lot of conversations about magnets these days, and they are primarily being raised by Hadjipanayis and some of his corporate partners.

So here are the facts:

-Right now, all significant quantities of rare earths are mined in China.
-There are multiple efforts to open mines in the rest of the world. Major sites are South Africa, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
-None of these mines will produce anything within two years, and none are likely to do much within five.
-China has a lot of incentives to keep selling rare earths.
-China also has a lot of incentive to start boiling the frog.

At the moment, I regard the tone of these articles as somewhat alarmist. That said - the facts are there. Rare earths aren't actually all that rare, it was just that no one could extract them as cheaply as China, so all the other producers went out of business. I personally don't see China as likely to disturb the status quo, but that doesn't mean we should accept it, either.

 

[EdStainless]

Well phrased Dave.
There are large RE reserves in many parts of the world, including the US. These have been mined in the past and could be mined again.
There are two very different thrusts in the research. They are mixed in the article which makes for a more alarming tone.
One is a cheep and easy replacement for consumer/industrial applications to replace NdFeB.
The other is an alloy for use in high power electronics (microwave and radar) which is mostly military. These applications are almost all still SmCo. These require field stability and high temp service, two things that NdFe can't do.

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Plymouth Tube

 

[Clyde38]

Thanks for the feedback. What about the claims for super-magnets?

Third, Hadjipanayis and the University of Delaware will try to create a new magnetic material that combines the best properties of Nd-Fe-B and iron. The material would ideally end up with high magnetization, and also strongly resist demagnetization.

Simulations have predicted that a next-gen magnet built this way could have a magnetic strength of more than 100 million MGOe, and might also slash neodymium use in magnets by 30 or 40 percent.

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[MagMike]

You know it is hyperbole when they claim 100 million MGOe. You'd think the reporter would at least stay within reality by claiming 100 MGOe.

 

[MagnetDave]

That's like saying that you could make a car that travels at Mach one thousandty million, if only you had the funding. Right now we make nasty powerful magnets that are extremely dangerous to handle and require careful engineering to use at 55 MGOe. To go to 100 million MGOe, you would be going from force of a dust mite falling to the space shuttle solid rocket booster.

I'm certain he was misquoted.

 

[Clyde38]

I agree that the "100 million" MGOe is a typo (or misunderstanding by the author). I think that is obvious to the casual observer. I'm curious about the ability to double the existing max. energy product, as well as reduce the amount of rare earths used.

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[MagnetDave]

You're asking when there will be a quantum leap in technology. I recall somewhere in my past reading that there is a theoretical limit of around 150 MGOe for pure iron that is "oriented," so 100 MGOe is not impossible.

Again, "not impossible." Current classes of magnets (NdFeB and SmCo) are both near their individual theoretical limits, so the only way to get past the current max (55 MGOe is the highest I've ever heard of) is a new class of material. So, when will that hit the market? Hard to say. But I would be shocked to see it faster than five years, and surprised at less than ten.