Scientists Make Mysterious Space Metal

Cambridge: Cambridge University researchers are trying to build a space magnet on Earth that could end the West’s dependence on China for renewable technology.

Researchers call tetranite a ‘space magnet’ that could revolutionize energy-harvesting technology. Magnets are essential for electric vehicles, windmills and other innovations considered important for reducing air pollution.

Much of the technology currently in use uses magnets that are typically made from ‘rare earth elements’. These elements are scattered throughout the Earth’s lower crust and are difficult to collect, requiring extremely intensive and expensive mining.

China controls about 58 percent of rare earth mining and 92 percent of magnet production, according to 2020 data from the US Department of Energy. While the United States contributes about 15 percent of global supply.

Linze Greer, a Cambridge professor, said in the report that amid the environmental impact and heavy dependence on China, there is an urgent need to find alternative materials that do not require rare elements.

Tetratinite, an alloy of steel and nickel, can be the magic magnet that solves many problems. But this material builds up on meteorites over millions of years, and scientists don’t have the advanced technology to collect them.

According to the university report, scientists are trying to make tetratinite in the laboratory, and the addition of phosphorus to the compound is a major breakthrough.

Phosphorus reacts with iron and nickel to produce a precise atomic motion, allowing the metal to form a tetratinite magnet without spending millions of years in space.

According to the scientists, they successfully made tetranite within seconds by pouring the mixture into the mold.