This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses challenges in producing an industrially-feasible alternative to rare-earth-based magnets. Rare earths comprise over 65% of all magnets in use today, which are sourced almost exclusively from China, and their production poses serious environmental concerns. While small samples of exotic materials can be produced in labs, this project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a viable material at industrial volumes. The project addresses this challenge from two fronts: by evaluating a manufacturing scheme that is new to this class of material (magnets), and by producing a new type of material. The process innovation is the establishment of supercritical conditions in a continuous flow technology using a technology called ?microreactors?. This enhancement enables the manufacturing of difficult-to-stabilize nanoparticles at industrial scales by eliminating problems related to alternative formulations and facilitates the refinement of the final product. The second innovation is the discovery of a new ferromagnetic material based upon nanoscale cobalt carbide particles. The combination of the process with the product results in a material with superior cost performance compared to that of rare earth magnets in a wide range of applications.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the future mitigation of supply and pricing risk in the magnet supply chain due to an imminent shortage of rare earths. Further, this innovation is expected to prove disruptive to existing global markets, will help reinvigorate the US manufacturing industry by creating skilled jobs on US soil, and will help offset the environmental impact associated with the mining and refinement of rare earths. The magnet described herein will be a price-competitive alternative to all commercial magnet types, including rare earth magnets, in a number of applications. In the short term, it will help absorb unmet demand arising from the rare earth shortage. In the long term, it should penetrate a wide range of markets. The total global market for this product is on the order of several hundred million dollars. Finally, by reducing the reliance on rare earth materials, this magnet alleviates national security risks associated with shortages in Chinese sources for rare earths. The research will extend the use of an existing technology-microreactors-to make completely new materials, thus building a basis for new production technologies and making feasible new materials categories.
