As stated in the Cambridge University press release, the researchers worked with Northeastern University in Boston. The material they test called tetrathaenite and is a combination of iron and nickel It has a special ordered atomic structure.

what is known

The discovery of synthetic tetratenite could provide humanity with an alternative to rare earth metals. These are very valuable and elusive materials used in machine building, electric car construction, and even NASA experiments.

Over the past few decades, China has dominated the rare earth minerals market because most of these minerals are found on its territory. The country has created low-cost production with cheap labor.

Meteorite with tetrataenite / Photo: RealClearScience

Tetratenite develops naturally over millions of years as the meteorite slowly cools, giving the iron and nickel atoms enough time to arrange themselves into a specific stacking sequence in the crystal structure, resulting in a material with magnetic properties close to rare earth magnets. . But a new idea has allowed scientists to synthesize this material much faster. The exact “recipe” has not been disclosed, but scientists say: It will be able to produce the material on a large scale without any special processing or expensive methods..

Now the promising material can be used in the production of super-strong “permanent magnets”, one of the key components of the technology. However, the technology still has a long way to go before it reaches the market.