New Rare Earth Free High Performance Permanent Magnets with High Energy Product and Mechanical Strength

Recently, the availability of the high performance rare earth based magnets (Nd-Fe-B and Sm-Co) was jeopardized due to the Chinese monopoly of rare earth production, which undermines our national security and competitiveness in the defense and clean energy sectors and creates a strategic vulnerability for the United States. This STTR proposal aims at developing the next generation of rare earth free permanent magnets with high magnetic performance, thermal stability and mechanical strength. The effort will focus on the development of new Mn-based magnets under two forms: (i) new ternary Mn-Bi-X single phase and (ii) nanocomposites of the newly developed Mn-Bi-X and Fe or FeCo. The research will be a conjugated effort encompassing crystal structure prediction and experimental work based on equilibrium and non-equilibrium synthesis approaches. The new single phase Mn-Bi-X magnets, are anticipated to provide (BH)max of at least 17 MGOe, higher than the current state of the art Alnico (10 MGOe) while the new nanocomposite Mn-Bi-X / Fe (FeCo) magnets can provide (BH)max ~ 70 MGOe at 177C which exceeds the current state of the art Nd-Fe-B magnets (52 MGOe) at room temperature.