CMI member institution Idaho National Laboratory sourced the raw materials and refined the oxides; CMI Industry member Infinium produced the metal ingots from those oxides, which in turn were processed into magnets at CMI’s home research institution at Ames Laboratory. This ability, paired with CMI’s on-going research work in rare-earth metals recycling, could provide manufacturers alternatives to imported critical materials.

The research team consisted of Critical Materials Institute researchers Ikenna Nlebedim from Ames Laboratory, Scott Herbst from Idaho National Laboratory, and Matt Earlham from Infinium.

The Critical Materials Institute is a Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and supported by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. CMI seeks ways to eliminate and reduce reliance on rare-earth metals and other materials critical to the success of clean energy technologies.