Using lanthanide–lanthanide bonds to create more powerful permanent magnets

Bob Yirka is a writer for Phys.org.

A group of researchers affiliated with a large number of institutions in the U.S. report a way to use lanthanide bonds to create more powerful magnets. In their paper, the group describes a technique to forge several kinds of lanthanide bonds. There are 15 metallic chemical elements.

The researchers note that metal-to-metal bonding can be created with large valance orbitals. Lanthanide-to-lanthanide bonds have not been considered as a possible source of magnets. The researchers have found di-lanthanide complexes that overcome the problem in a big way.

The researchers found a class of divalent lanthanide ion that was compatible with 5d orbitals. They were able to establish terbium and gadolinium bonds using them. The first two showed the potential for strong magnets. The researchers created complexes with metal centers that shared a d electron. Three iodine atoms were arranged in triangles around the metal centers. The metal atoms were held together by a bond that ran through the center of the triangular structure. The bond was the first of its kind between two rare earth materials, according to the researchers.

A new record for a molecule-based material has been set by the newly discovered bonds. The previous record was 7.8 tesla. A new class of super-strong permanent magnets could be created by using the newly discovered bonds. The researchers found that the field strength of the materials they created was too strong to measure accurately with their equipment. They suggest that magnets made using their techniques could be used in both small media storage applications and large technical applications that need new types of solid materials.

More information: Colin A. Gould et al, Ultrahard magnetism from mixed-valence dilanthanide complexes with metal-metal bonding, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abl5470 Journal information: Science

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Citation: Using lanthanide–lanthanide bonds to create more powerful permanent magnets (2022, January 26) retrieved 26 January 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-01-lanthanidelanthanide-bonds-powerful-permanent-magnets.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.