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In a breakthrough new study, scientists and engineers at the University of Minnesota have electrically transformed the abundant and low-cost non-magnetic material iron sulfide, also known as "fool's gold" or pyrite, into a magnetic material.
This is the first time scientists have ever electrically transformed an entirely non-magnetic material into a magnetic one, and it could be the first step in creating valuable new magnetic materials for more energy-efficient computer memory devices.
The research is published in Science Advances, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
"Most people knowledgeable in magnetism would probably say it was impossible to electrically transform a non-magnetic material into a magnetic one. When we looked a little deeper, however, we saw a potential route, and made it happen," said Chris Leighton, the lead researcher on the study and a University of Minnesota Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
[...] "We were pretty surprised it worked," Leighton said. "By applying the voltage, we essentially pour electrons into the material. It turns out that if you get high enough concentrations of electrons, the material wants to spontaneously become ferromagnetic, which we were able to understand with theory. This has lots of potential. Having done it with iron sulfide, we guess we can do it with other materials as well."
Leighton said they would never have imagined trying this approach if it wasn't for his team's research studying iron sulfide for solar cells and the work on magnetoionics.
"It was the perfect convergence of two areas of research," he said.
Leighton said the next step is to continue research to replicate the process at higher temperatures, which the team's preliminary data suggest should certainly be possible. They also hope to try the process with other materials and to demonstrate potential for real devices.
Journal Reference:
Jeff Walter, Bryan Voigt, Ezra Day-Roberts, et al. Voltage-induced ferromagnetism in a diamagnet [open], Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb7721)
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday August 04 2020, @03:11PM (7 children)
It would be helpful, if you noted what conductive rods are doing so. Then, explain what you think even billions of relatively tiny rods would hope to accomplish with regards to affecting the Earth. Which already has a very large amount of magnetic ore / rocks in it's crust.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2020, @03:16PM (6 children)
Every building that is grounded to the earth, which is required by law in most countries.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday August 04 2020, @05:45PM (5 children)
I figured as much, but the amount of extra magnetization is minuscule, compared to what's already out there. What's the big bogey man that you're chasing here?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2020, @06:41PM (4 children)
Billions of people pumping electrons into the ground for decades with no one knowing where they go doesnt disturb you?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2020, @06:55PM
indeeed: https://invidio.us/watch?v=vSYcmeoJiGQ [invidio.us]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2020, @07:03PM (2 children)
No one's pumping electrons into the ground, that ground connection is just to keep things "grounded", so that voltages on the house wiring don't wander too far from ground / earth potential for safety. Why would they wander? Since there are transformers used to get from transmission voltage to house voltage, nothing prevents a DC bias on the output accumulating.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 05 2020, @04:57AM (1 child)
Yes they are.
This is pumping any excess electrons into the ground.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Wednesday August 05 2020, @09:41AM
Or sucking electrons out of the ground. On average, the number of electrons added to the ground will be equal to the number of electrons taken out, which means the total charge will stay near zero.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.