Tough SmCo
Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license. The R&D 100 Awards have long been a benchmark of excellence for industry sectors as diverse as telecommunications, high-energy physics, software, manufacturing, and biotechnology. This 2021 R&D 100 winner is listed below, along with its respective category.
Category: Mechanical/Materials
Developers: Ames Laboratory Ames Laboratory
Co-Developers: Electron Energy Corp.
United States
Product Description:Rare earth elements underpin the world’s strongest magnet, but the materials are brittle and frequently break during manufacturing, resulting in significant yield losses. Tough SmCo alleviates brittleness while maintaining magnetic performance through advanced microstructural designs that incorporate bimodal grain size distributions and maintain full compatibility with current magnet manufacturing processes.
Developers: Ames Laboratory Ames Laboratory
Co-Developers: Electron Energy Corp.
United States
Product Description:Rare earth elements underpin the world’s strongest magnet, but the materials are brittle and frequently break during manufacturing, resulting in significant yield losses. Tough SmCo alleviates brittleness while maintaining magnetic performance through advanced microstructural designs that incorporate bimodal grain size distributions and maintain full compatibility with current magnet manufacturing processes.
Graphic abstract of invention