Cambridge research raises hope for rare earths replacement in green tech

A team from the University of Cambridge and colleagues from Austria may have found an alternative to rare-earth magnets for use in wind turbines and electric vehicles (EVs).

Tetrataenite, also referred to as a “cosmic magnet,” is an iron-nickel alloy with a particular ordered atomic structure that forms over millions of years in meteorites. Previous attempts to make it artificially are not suitable for mass production.

Researchers have now found a way to produce tetrataenite by mixing iron, nickel and phosphorus in the right quantities.

“What was so astonishing was that no special treatment was needed: we just melted the alloy, poured it into a mould, and we had tetrataenite,” said Professor Lindsay Greer from Cambridge’s Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy.

According to an announcement on Tuesday, more work will be needed to determine whether this will be suitable for the production of high-performance magnets. The scientists are looking to partner with major magnet manufacturers on additional research.

While rare earths are in fact not rare, China is the main supplier and rising geopolitical tensions cause concerns over their availability.

“Rare earth deposits exist elsewhere, but the mining operations are highly disruptive: you have to extract a huge amount of material to get a small volume of rare earths,” explained Greer. “Between the environmental impacts, and the heavy reliance on China, there’s been an urgent search for alternative materials that do not require rare earths,” he added.

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