Nya permanentmagneter fria från sällsynta jordertsmetaller för hållbar industri

Important results from the project

Permanent magnets are vitally important for a sustainable industry. High-end applications need increasing amounts of hard magnetic materials. They contain non-abundant rare-earth elements, whose production harms the environment. New rare-earth-free magnets are in high demand. The aim of this project was to meet this demand by developing high-throughput theoretical screening to discover novel magnets suitable for creation of the prototypes for industrial applications. The goal has been achieved.

Expected long term effects

A new methodology for high-throughput theoretical screening and discovering novel magnets has been developed and applied. The methodology is superior to existing approaches by accounting for magnetic interactions on a lattice of vibrating atoms beyond standard models. The screening of a large number of structure types and compositions with multiple elements has been performed. A new class of potentially excellent magnets, based exclusively on rare-earth-free materials, has been discovered.

Approach and implementation

The project has been performed according to the plan, adjusted to covid-pandemic restrictions. The advanced theoretical tools have been developed and the user-friendly code released. The code has great potential for further usage in theoretical predictions of magnets. The discovered new materials might be further used for industrial applications and have a high impact on sustainable energy production. The prototype manufacturing has been planned.