Since their relatively recent appearance on the commercial scene, rare-earth magnets have made quite a splash in the public imagination. The amount of magnetic energy packed into these tiny, shiny ...

Contrary to their name, rare-earth magnets are not made from rare materials; they are nevertheless the most powerful permanent magnets. The term “rare-earth” originates from the 17 elements in the ...

Traditional iron magnets have been used in consumer products for hundreds of years, but they do have some limitations in terms of magnetic power and adaptability. In the 1980s, scientists used 17 rare ...

Two researchers who independently developed the neodymium magnet — used in everything from hard disk drives to automobiles — have been awarded the 44th Honda Prize. In 1982, two researchers working ...

Toyota says it has invented a new magnet for high-energy applications like electric motors that uses a fraction of the amount of neodymium (a rare-earth element) of a standard iron, boron, neodymium ...

Rare-earth elements are vital for the magnets found in electric cars, wind turbines and other parts of the “green economy”. But with uncertainties over the supply of these materials, James McKenzie ...

The rise of electric vehicles is threatening supplies of a host of the earth’s elements. Cobalt and lithium for batteries are getting most of the attention, but rare earths for electric motors are ...