Research endpoints
Instead of searching for new chemistries and crystal structures, we can focus on a known good material which is hard to synthesize at scale. This is an alternative path forward to an idea like this on
Rare-earth elements earned their place in permanent magnets because the large atomic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of the 4 f shell turns exchange energy into a hefty magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MAE).
Sharing some notes as I go through this paper:
Interactive phase diagram showing stability of ZrFe12Si2B
Interactive phase diagram showing stability of ZrFe12Si2B
Analysis of ZrFe12Si2B stability including energy above hull and phase diagram
Below is a “from‑scratch” permanent‑magnet concept that stitches together the best lessons from tetragonal Fe‑Co physics, rapid ordering tricks, and exchange‑spring nanocomposites. I kept every elemen
Materials science endpoints
The crystal structure of a neodymium magnet. It is a permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron to form the Nd2Fe14B tetragonal crystalline structure. They are the most widely used type of rare-earth magnet.
Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnets, often simply called neodymium magnets, represent the most powerful class of permanent magnets currently available. These magnets are composed primarily of neodymi
Generated image from "Crowded dance floor seen from above, with clusters of dancers all performing identical synchronized movements within their groups. The dance moves are visibly spreading from dancer to dancer like a wave, with clear boundaries between different dance styles." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "A time-lapse of a stadium doing increasingly energetic waves. In the first frame, a perfect grid of glowing points shows almost perfect alignment. As the wave intensifies in subsequent frames, the points become increasingly chaotic and misaligned, eventually showing completely random orientations at the height of the wave's energy." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "A bookshelf with various books - thin paperbacks laying flat, tall encyclopedias standing upright, and a few books precariously balanced on their edges or covers. An invisible force appears to be trying to rotate the books, with the encyclopedias strongly resisting the rotation while the paperbacks easily change orientation." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "A political map showing a country divided into distinct districts, each colored either red or blue. Some areas show large unified blocks of a single color, while boundaries between differently colored regions are clearly visible. A giant hand is holding a magnet above the map, causing more districts to align to the same color" using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "Only visualize this idea. No text. Imagine a dance floor with a simple rule: dancers (electrons) with the same moves (spins) need more space between them due to social etiquette (Pauli exclusion principle). In ferromagnetic materials: When two dancers meet, it's energetically favorable for them to dance the same way (parallel spins) As one dancer starts doing a specific move, nearby dancers naturally follow along This creates "dance neighborhoods" (magnetic domains) where everyone is synchronized The "dance style" spreads from one dancer to the next - this propagation is the exchange interaction. Some dance floors (crystal structures) naturally encourage everyone to dance the same way, creating strong magnets." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "A stadium filled with people, each holding a flashlight. In a magnet, something special happens - everyone agrees to point their flashlights in the same direction. Suddenly, that side of the stadium becomes brilliantly bright. This coordinated alignment is what creates a magnet's strength. Each flashlight is like an electron's magnetic moment, and when aligned, they create a powerful cumulative effect." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Generated image from "Imagine a stadium filled with people, each holding a flashlight. In normal materials, people are pointing their flashlights in random directions, so the overall stadium appears dim from above because the light is scattered in all directions." using DALL-E 3 from OpenAI.
Let me explain how magnets work using analogies that will give you a physical understanding of the phenomena.
Perplexity Deep Research on the topic of permanent magnets.