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Materials science

Magnetic alloys break the rules

Nature volume 521, pages 298–299 (2015)Cite this article

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A family of alloys has been discovered that undergoes unexpected changes of shape when magnetized. This strange behaviour might help in unravelling the mystery of a phenomenon called magnetic hysteresis. See Letter p.340

The need to understand magnetic hysteresis is becoming increasingly urgent2,3. That is because hard magnets are main components of the motors of electric vehicles and technologies such as wind-power generators, both of which are becoming more widespread. Soft magnets are ubiquitous in the electronic devices that control power in electric motors and current flow in electrical grids.

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Figure 1: Typical hysteresis loops in hard, soft and autarkic magnets.

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References

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  1. Richard D. James is in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.,

    Richard D. James

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  1. Richard D. James
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Correspondence to Richard D. James.

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James, R. Magnetic alloys break the rules. Nature 521, 298–299 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/521298a

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