Electric cars are often criticized for using rare earths, but scientists have developed a new material that could make them more sustainable.
Electric cars and wind turbines need powerful magnets to work. The problem is that these magnets are made from rare earth metals, special elements that have special properties. These are difficult to find and extract from the ground. The worst part is that they mostly harm the environment and people during their extraction and processing.
Scientists are therefore regularly looking at other ways to make magnets without using rare earths. One of them is to use iron nitride, a material composed of iron and nitrogen. These are common and cheap items that are easy to obtain. Iron nitride makes it possible to make very powerful magnets, even more powerful than those made with rare earths. It can also last longer and resist heat and rust better. Finally, he did not no need for cobalt, another often criticized metal.
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This new magnet could reduce the use of rare earths in our electric cars
A Minnesota company called Niron Magnetics is working on making iron nitride magnets. This company was started by a professor who discovered how to make iron nitride in thin films. He used a method called “nitrogen ion implantation,” which involves injecting nitrogen atoms into the iron. It results a layer of iron nitride that has high energy and can create a strong magnetic field.
But it is not enough to produce iron nitride in thin layers. The company also has to make it in large pieces, break it into smaller pieces and press them together to make magnets. This is difficult because iron nitride can break down when it gets too hot. The company must then find the right way to make iron nitride without heating it too much. It must also make it even more resistant and better suited to different uses, before hoping to be able to set up a manufacturing process for manufacturers.
Iron nitride magnets could help auto companies use less rare earths. This could be beneficial for the environment and for people who live near mines and factories, but also for consumers who would feel less guilty about harming the environment by purchasing an electric car. Tesla is notably one of the companies that has made a commitment to put an end to rare earths in its engines.
Iron nitride is not the miracle solution
The researchers point out, however, that iron nitride is not the only way to make magnets without rare earth metals. There are other ways, such as recycling, using different materials or inventing new products. Iron nitride is a good option, but it still needs to prove itself.
Finding alternatives to rare earths is becoming increasingly urgent, and scientists may well be on the right track with iron nitride. According to Seaver Wang, co-director of the Breakthrough Institute’s climate and energy team, the supply of certain rare earth chemical elements will need to increase sevenfold by 2050, just to meet the demand for wind turbines. Demand for rare earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium for electric vehicles could increase 15-fold by 2040.
Ultimately, the use of iron nitride may well provide a cheaper and easier to find alternative to rare earth metals. It would also allow reduce automakers’ dependence on Chinawhich dominates the production and export of rare earth metals.