A research team from the University of Cambridge, working with colleagues from  Austria, have discovered a potential new method for making high-performance rare-earth-element magnets, Tetrataenite, used in wind turbines and electric cars without the need for rare earth elements.

Tetrataenite, a ‘cosmic magnet’ that takes millions of years to develop naturally in meteorites, can be cheaply made in the laboratory without expensive techniques or any specialized treatment.   Tetrataenite, an iron-nickel alloy with a particular ordered atomic structure, had been artificially formed in the 1960s by bombarding iron-nickel alloys with neutrons (radiation), but could not be used in practical applications.  The Cambridge research team discovered small amounts of phosphate added to iron-nickel alloy could form tetrataenite in mere seconds in a mold.  Phosphate, added to molten iron-nickel, would form the crystalline structural dendrites found in tetrataenite, mimicking the same particular stacking sequence.

Permanent high-performance rare-earth-element magnets are a vital technology for building a zero-carbon economy.  Commercial applications of the artificial tetrataenite could potentially replace the need to import rare-earth elements used in wind-turbine magnets and electric vehciles.  "There is an issue with securing a reliable supply of rare earths, as China controls the majority of global production. It was reported that 81% of rare earths worldwide were sourced from China in 2017. There are other countries that mine REEs, such as Australia, but with increasing geopolitical tensions with China, the current rare earth supply could be at risk." ¹

With the need to reverse course on emissions, green technology industry leaders are developing alternatives in infrastructure uses on every level of human consumption from powering and heating homes to transportation.  With the innovation of electric powered machines and vehicles, the artifical tetrataenite manufacturing discovery may pave new approaches to development and manufacturing vitally important technologies on a global scale.

Sources:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/new-approach-to-cosmic-magnet-manufa...
https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/potential-rare-earth-magnet-replac...

1. Potential rare earth magnet replacement has been discovered - https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/potential-rare-earth-magnet-replac...

"Smelter Wallpaper" image courtesy of GoodFon.com