Sealed, High-Heat Capacity, Cable-in-Conduit Superconductors

65509 Nd-Fe-B magnets currently provide the highest energy product of any permanent magnet material. However, these magnets have not reached their theoretical energy limit, and suffer from poor mechanical properties. It has been theoretically predicted that exchange-coupled, or ¿spring¿ magnets, will result in improved energy products, but manufacturing techniques for mass-production of spring magnets are not available. This project will develop and demonstrate manufacturing techniques leading to Nd2Fe14B permanent magnet materials having a nanostructured microstructure consisting of 20-50 nm Nd2Fe14B grains separated by 5-20 nm of an iron inter-granular phase. These magnetic materials will be prepared in particulate form using an innovative application of organometallic chemical vapor deposition, and subsequently consolidated by hot pressing. Phase I will produce a series of 40 nanoengineered Nd-Fe-B particle designs and develop high rate compaction techniques to retain the desired nanostructure. After compaction, the magnetic and mechanical properties of the compacts will be measured. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by awardee: If successfully produced without exchange coupling the Nd2Fe14B grains, an improved energy product should result through increased magnetic saturation of the iron phase, which maintains a high coercivity in the Nd2Fe14B magnetic field. Commercial applications include motors, generators, alternators, magnetos, magnetic bearings, actuators, eddy current brakes, cyclotrons, traveling wave tubes, and klystrons.