Clean Energy Magnets
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Peter Müllner
To move from a fossil-fuel powered economy to a clean-energy society, we need strong permanent magnets for electric motors and generators. Current high-power magnets contain rare-earth elements, which are sourced solely from China. The geopolitics associated with the rare-metal trade presents a national risk for the United States. To mitigate this risk, we develop economical magnets from elements available in the US.
Role of Participant(s):
The Magnetic Materials Lab explores the structure, processing, and properties of rare-earth free permanent magnet alloys. We work with alloys which convert non-ferromagnetic base elements into bulk ferromagnets. We study magnetic alloys which were first found in meteorites. You will process such alloys starting from high-purity elements and characterize their microstructures, defect structures, and magnetic properties using various techniques.