The magnets industry is constantly evolving. Researchers are always tinkering with new metal combinations to bring cheaper, more reliable magnets to the market. But the focus on magnets doesn’t stop on the surface of the earth. Recently, the Department of Energy awarded $20 million to extract rare earth elements from old coal mines in the Appalachians — a major development considering we’ve long depended on China to supply us with rare earth materials.  If you’re not paying attention, you might miss the future developing before your very eyes. We’ve rounded up some of the most promising advances in magnets and magnet technology to make a few predictions about what the future holds for us.

Increased Data Storage

Computer data has long been stored in binary code, a series of 1s and 0s. Physicists have determined they can store data by rearranging the north and south poles of individual atoms. With our current technology, a single bit of storage requires 10,000 atoms. By reducing bits to a single atom, we could shrink data down to microscopic levels, increasing computing power while reducing hardware sizes.

Intricate Designs

These same physicists also hope to use magnetized atoms to construct intricate materials with fine-tuned magnetic properties. It’s an idea within reason, as the researchers are capable of building with the atoms one at a time, similar to how you would piece together a Lego set.

High Strength, High Heat Resistance, Lower Prices

For a long time, neodymium magnets have been the leader in strength among rare earth magnets. Weaker samarium-cobalt has always been the runner up, but it’s had an advantage when it comes to high temperatures. Neodymium simply doesn’t stand up to heat the way samarium-cobalt does. A variation of samarium-cobalt (SmCoNiFe3) may someday displace neodymium as the go-to favorite now that scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have found a way to increase the magnet’s strength. By replacing much of the cobalt with iron and nickel, they’ve made the magnets stronger without sacrificing heat resistance. This immediately makes the new combination a likely replacement for traditional samarium-cobalt (SmCo5). As a bonus, the reduction of cobalt may also lower the overall price, making SmCoNiFe3 an even more attractive option for businesses.  

Modifiable Elasticity

A physicist from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has found the magnetic properties of a material will enable you to predict the relationship between elasticity and temperature. The exciting part: You could potentially control an object’s elasticity by applying a magnetic field. In other words, you could make an item more or less elastic with the flip of a switch. This could be useful across a number of applications in multiple industries. For example, the researcher has pointed to the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. If the O-ring on the Challenger’s rocket booster had retained its elasticity, the spacecraft likely wouldn’t have broken apart.

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