Magnetic Acceleration Generating New Innovations and Tactical Outcomes (MAGNITO)

Magnetism is one of the most complex yet fundamental forces in nature, and powerful magnets are needed for numerous essential industrial, electronics, power, and transportation applications. Both hard (permanent) magnets and soft magnets are needed for applications such as high-power density motors for drones and robots, and for electrical devices such as high-performance transformers and inductors. 

Permanent magnetic materials inherently create a magnetic field with no energy input. This is opposed to electromagnets which use coils of copper wire and require an electric current to induce a magnetic field. This inherent difference makes permanent magnet generators and motors smaller and lighter as well as more efficient than those using electromagnets which suffer from resistive losses in the copper coils.4 Similarly, soft magnets can enhance performance and reduce the size of transformers, inductors, motors, and generators. 

The maximum magnetic field produced by a magnet is determined by the saturation magnetization, Bsat, which can be measured in Tesla (T) and is approximately proportional to the density of unpaired electron spins.5 Many magnetic materials are made up of iron, cobalt, or nickel-based alloys or oxides that have at most two unpaired spins per atom. Given that there are many atoms with five or more unpaired electron spins, a higher Bsat than the state of the art should be possible. 

Many applications require permanent magnets with high coercivity, Hc, and high Bsat. The most widely used metric to qualify a magnet’s performance is the maximum energy product defined as B x H, or (BH)max. Here, B is the magnetic field strength (also called magnetic flux density) measured in Tesla and H is the magnetizing field strength measured in amperes per meter.6 The strength of magnetic materials as well as the motor power density have increased over time through materials discovery and engineering (see Figure 1).7 This trend indicates that the discovery of ultra-high power magnets has the potential to achieve a breakthrough in motor power density. 

The objective of the Magnetic Acceleration Generating New Innovations and Tactical Outcomes (MAGNITO) program is to support the discovery, synthesis, and characterization of new, more powerful magnets with either a saturation magnetization or maximum energy product higher than that of any known material. This entails finding entirely new physics, chemistries, and structure for ultra-powerful soft and/or hard magnets. The discovery of Nd2Fe14B, with its complex structural chemistry and extraordinary properties, suggests that other complex magnetic materials with three or more distinct elements, and similar chemical and structural features, are waiting to be discovered. 

Advances in computational physics that can calculate Bsat, magneto-crystalline anisotropy, and Curie temperature (TC), as well as computational materials discovery using high-throughput techniques, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), are needed to reveal new materials structures not previously examined and at a pace faster than ever before. 

To achieve effective materials discovery, ARPA-E anticipates successful applicants will comprise teams with various expertise such as: 

• Computational materials discovery, e.g., high-throughput computation, AI/ML, generation of new structures, thermodynamic stability models, and phase diagrams; 
• Solid state chemistry, high-throughput synthesis and characterization of new phases, including (but not limited to) specialized ability in subnitrides, high temperature borides, and carbides; 
• Magnetism physics and computational methods; 
• Magnetic measurement and interpretation of data, including hysteresis curves; high-throughput autonomous laboratories; and 
• Potential applications of ultra-powerful magnets.