STTR Phase I: Scalable Soft Magnetic Composite for High-Frequency Power Electronics

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to significantly improve the efficiency and performance of power systems in data centers, power supplies, and consumer devices by innovating upon one of their most fundamental building blocks: magnetic materials. In every power system, electricity must be converted – between alternating and direct current or across different voltage levels – and today’s magnetic materials waste significant energy as heat during this process. These losses raise operating costs, limit how compact devices can be, and place added stress on the electric grid. This project aims to commercialize a new class of magnetic material while enhancing scientific understanding of how nanoscale particles influence key magnetic properties. The first market entry will be high-frequency power supplies for industrial uses, where efficiency gains translate directly into lower operating costs and cooling needs. The durable advantage of this innovation comes from combining higher efficiency with a scalable manufacturing method not available in existing materials. Commercialization will begin with domestic manufacturing of magnetic components. If successful, the technology will become a cornerstone for advanced electronics, strengthening U.S. leadership in next-generation power electronics and power systems. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will tackle the technical barrier of achieving high saturation flux density and low core losses in soft magnetic materials to enable optimized efficiency in power electronics operating in megahertz frequency ranges. Incumbent materials including ferrites and amorphous alloys do not offer the combination of high saturation magnetization, low loss, and thermal stability demanded by modern wide bandgap-based power converters. The project’s primary research objectives are to (1) synthesize and characterize the novel powder composites at different volume loadings and nanoparticle sizes, (2) measure electromagnetic properties across a broad frequency range, and (3) develop a finite element model that characterizes the behavior of this novel magnetic material. These results will form the technical foundation for scaling the material and pursuing pilot applications in high-frequency power conversion systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.