High Performance Magnet Production Gets Boost from Science

Sectors of the industry making use of high-performance motors and other power generation devices are often dependent on compounds with exceptional magnetic and physical properties. Usually, when this is the case, Samarium Cobalt is the material of choice. The problem is that this compound is very difficult and expensive to manufacture. Now, researchers from the Northeastern University have developed a process that can produce pure Samarium Cobalt in a short time, in high quantities and at a cost only a fraction of the current one.

"A single step chemical process has been pursued for decades with little success. This research breakthrough represents a potentially disruptive step forward in the cost-effective processing of these important materials," said Vincent Harris, William Lincoln Smith Chair Professor and Director of the Center for Microwave Magnetic Materials and Integrated Circuits at Northeastern University, part of the team of researchers led by Ph.D. C.N Chinnasamy.

Samarium Cobalt has magnetic properties superior to other types of magnetic materials used in high temperature applications, therefore it has potential uses in a vast number of devices using permanent magnets. The current multi-step metallurgic technique has little control over the shape of the magnetic particles. However, the newly invented process is able to produce 'nanoblades' of magnetic material in a single stage, meaning that the assembly process is much more efficient and could provide smaller and lighter magnets, without losing magnetic properties.

"Such unusually shaped particles should prove valuable in the processing of anisotropic magnets that are highly sought in many DOD and commercial applications and are anticipated to lead to lighter and more energy-efficient end products," said Chinnasamy.

"The development of stable Samarium Cobalt nanoparticles using this one-step chemical synthesis method may motivate more scientists and engineers to work on the development of next generation magnets," said Ph.D. Jinfang Liu, Vice President of Technology and Engineering at Electron Energy Corporation.

According to specialists, the new invention will represent a significant boost in the industry of permanent magnets as well as in federal and commercial industries, could result in the manufacturing of more lightweight components in different types of vehicles and may extend as far as into computer and biomedical applications.

"This work represents the most promising advance in rare earth permanent magnet processing in many years. I expect it to revitalize international interest in the development of this important class of engineering materials," said Laura Henderson Lewis, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University.