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The value of many "rare earths" suddenly plummeted recently when an iron+nitrogen [edit: not "nickel"] alloy/crystallization ("allotrope") was discovered that a
by moloch-hai 4y ago
The value of many "rare earths" suddenly plummeted recently when an iron+nitrogen [edit: not "nickel"] alloy/crystallization ("allotrope") was discovered that approximates the properties of the best lanthanide magnets.
("Rare-earths" are not, incidentally, needed for [edit:batteries], wind turbines, or solar panels, however much certain people wish they were, or confidently claim.)
- Laaas 4y agoDo you have a link, keywords, so I can read further on this topic? Thanks beforehand.
- moloch-hai 4y agohttps://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/projects/iron-nickel-based-supermagnets https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/projects/iron-nickel-... You may ignore claims there that they are essential for batteries and wind turbines. But they are important in electric drones and robots.
- telotortium 4y agoThat's from 2012, are there any further developments?
- moloch-hai 4y agoI misremembered, the new advance is iron/nitrogen magnets. https://www.nironmagnetics.com https://www.nironmagnetics.com https://hackaday.com/2022/09/01/iron-nitrides-powerful-magnets-without-the-rare-earth-elements/ https://hackaday.com/2022/09/01/iron-nitrides-powerful-magne...
- telotortium 4y agoThanks! Submitted here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34359383 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34359383
- culi 4y ago> "Rare-earths" are not, incidentally, needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines, or solar panels, however much certain people wish they were, or confidently claim. What exactly does this mean? EVs use a ton more rare earth minerals than conventional cars https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/minerals-used-in-electric-cars-compared-to-conventional-cars https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/minerals-used... Solar panels use silicon, indium, gallium, selenium, cadmium, and tellurium. Neodymium and dysprosium are mainly used in the permanent magnets of offshore wind turbines
- moloch-hai 4y agoNone of those used in solar panels are lanthanides. Current EVs use some lanthanides in magnets (soon to be displaced, as noted), but not in the batteries. Permanent magnets are used mainly in the smallest wind turbines, where offshore turbines are the biggest.
- culi 4y agoI see. I didn't realize "rare earth minerals" had a specific chemical definition
- moloch-hai 4y ago"Rare-earth" means lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. But scandium and yttrium are not used in magnets, so they would confuse people less by saying "lanthanide magnet" instead of "rare-earth magnet".