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Moldable Magnets 67
leb writes, "What if researchers could create a tough, lightweight, moldable material, with "tunable" magnetic properties? Molded into different shapes, such a material might someday prove useful for high-density data storage, anti-static coatings for aircraft or spacecraft, and a
host of other applications. A first step toward tunable, ceramic magnets is reported by a group of researchers from University of Toronto. "
U of T baby! (Score:3)
Blame Canada! (Score:1)
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Space Station (Score:5)
I've no idea if that's still in the plan, but the idea is still viable, I'd imagine, and would definitely help study the structure of the material, if not gain insight into ways to improve it.
Maglev (Score:2)
I am Magnetron! (Score:1)
None will be able to repel me[1]. You will all bow before me or I shall use my magnets to redirect all the ships in the world and mess up your TV screens[2].
If you then do not give in, I shall magnetically erase all your disks.
All I have to do is work out a way to defeat my nemesis - Captain Stainless and his sidekick Aluminium Boy!
[1]Except magnets with the same polarity
[2]This may not apply to you if you are not using a CRT based screen.
Old childrens toy. (Score:2)
Re:Maglev (Score:2)
Re:Old childrens toy. (Score:3)
They've managed to embed iron filings in rubber. Forgive me but is this really new?
Except in this case, they have embedded the iron (and thus the magnetic properties) in the molecules themselves, as opposed to simply mixing it in, which was undoubtedly the case with your toy.
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magnetic chips (Score:5)
Re:U of T baby! (Score:1)
Toronto's the centre of the universe.
No, really. We *actually* think that way.
However, those U of T guys? *they* think they're hot stuff, with their fancy *magnets* and their campus that's not in the middle of nowhere.
Jerks.
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Anti-static? (Score:3)
Well, first of all, an anti-static coating needs to be conductive, magetic properties are irrelevant for static control.
Second, they say the material has to be heated to 500 degrees Celsius as part of the fabrication procedure. Are they planning to bake entire airplanes and spacecraft at 500 degrees?
Of course, if they manage to make iron nanoclusters with the exact number of atoms to optimize magnetic properties, this would be interesting for data storage. Expect to see cheaper hardisks with more capacity in the future. But bigger, cheaper HDs cannot be called "news" anymore, can they?
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host of applications (Score:2)
Researchers at Penn St. are using magnetic fields to try and make viable antimatter propulsion. It can also be used for more efficient nuclear propulsion (think easily thrustable and safer).
Electric car engines with tunable properties; I would think it would make for a much more efficient engine.
I would also like a lightweight, flexible, magnetic body suit so I can play around in a strong magnetic field to simulate low gravity.
It can also revolutionize the Fridge door magnet industry.
Half-baked ideas... (Score:2)
But the temperatures reached in manufacturing the material are very different from the temperatures that they need to subject the entire craft to. If you don't believe me consider what temperatures steel is made at and ask if they ever have to heat the entire plane to that temperature...
And about hard drives. Moore's law is faster for them than for other components. If current trends continue the in the next decade it will become reasonable to replace RAM with miniature hard drives!
Cheers,
Ben
But how? (Score:1)
Re:Looks almost like bubble memory... (Score:1)
Re:U of T baby! (Score:2)
(no, it's not my auction.)
Data storage applications (Score:1)
Old News, look at my 'Frig door (Score:5)
Re:Half-baked ideas... (Score:3)
With all the "Magnets as healing" crap ... (Score:5)
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Transformers (Score:2)
The most important possibility (Score:1)
It is truly a great day for everyone.
LATE BREAKING NEWS! POSSIBLE MEMORY APPLICATION! (Score:3)
Re:Transformers (Score:5)
No, no no... Transformers are optimized for specific frequencies because there is no (known) way to have a given ferrite material and transformer construction work well at all frequencies. Big power transformers use laminated "sheets" of metal to store lots of flux and keep eddy currents down. Unfortunately to get any decent power out of these you need to make 'em big 'cause there's a WHACK of flux being shoved around at 50/60Hz and therefore a lot of steel required to store the flux.
Switchmode power supplies get bigger power ratings because they work at far higher frequencies (typically 100-300kHz). At these frequencies there isn't a lot of flux at any one time so you can get away with tiny transformers for the same power rating. (picture it as draining a pool with a 1000L bucket in a couple dozen passes (60Hz) as opposed to using a 355mL pop can a couple bazillion times in the same time period (300kHz). They both get the water out, but one does it more efficiently.) They also don't use laminated sheets of steel, but rather a pressed ferrite "dust" 'cause (IIRC) it's cheaper and lighter.
The reason a waveform looks "like a lawnmower went over it" when you put it through the wrong transformer is that you are most likely either driving it into saturation (the top-right and bottom-left-most parts of the B-H curve) or you're wayyyyyyy out of range on the frequency which causes tons of losses in the power transfer and thus your output waveform won't look much like the input.
Thus concluding the short lesson on transformers, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to email. Similarly if you feel the need to correct, by all means do so. :-)
EM bad? (Score:1)
In fact it has been proven that excessive use of cell-phones can cause brain tumours. The fact that these gizmo's have shrunk 10-fold from their initial release is very misleading since they are still emitting enough rads to send a signal to a local cell tower.
And what about all the cases of children living near power lines and such being exponentially more likely to get lukemia.. I hate being a spoilsport, but it looks like adding more magetic radiation to the *human background* isn't really all that great an idea, and I don't really see that there is a difference between *emissions* and *strong emissions*.
So Even if this is theoretically amazing, in practical use we would need to ack the need for something like shielding or whatever other additional materia required between us and the emissions; driving costs up and usefullness down.
Re:U of T baby! (Score:2)
Strength (Score:1)
Low temperature magnets (Score:2)
Unfortunately, as far as I remember, the only decent non-metallic ferromagnet only kicks in at about 35 Kelvin. But research is underway to make an organic magnet that exhibits ferromagnetic properties at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, a much more industrially workable temperature. But, I can't see a 3 metre squared cooling unit just so I can have a 300 TB hard drive
Boring yes, but I'm sure someone out there finds it interesting
Re:EM bad? (Score:5)
Cell phones have been suggested to cause tumors, not PROVEN.
And the EM field dangers are likely even more dubious. There's a great old episode of Frontline on how the research that spawned these fears is a spectacular example of flawed analysis.
The best line of the Frontline is when a more clueful scientist points out that outside of a few meters proximity the level of radiation coming from power lines is bupkus compared to that coming from the sun and earth:
"It's like your neighbor calling you up during a windstorm and saying 'Your cat is breathing on my tree.'"
Re:LATE BREAKING NEWS! POSSIBLE MEMORY APPLICATION (Score:2)
How moldable? (Score:1)
One with a magnetic personality?
Re:Low temp magnets & twice baked ideas (Score:1)
If they can incorporate an iron/polymer materials at a molecular level to ceramics, maybe we could finally make some more commerically productive uses of the Meiser effect through incorporation of some more rare magnetic materials.
Finally, I could live in a house that floats a foot or two off the ground! (Just don't flush the toilet or turn on any lights. )
Except by current technology, I'd only need about 5000 gal of liquid nitrogen to cool down the superconducting material.
Re:U of T baby! (Score:1)
Can you say changeling?? (Score:1)
Actually this could have some cool implications for morphing technology.
Idiot (Score:1)
What about Nickel (magnetic coins) and Cobalt?
Re:U of T baby! (Score:1)
It's all about co-op.
HD vs CPU is not what counts (Score:1)
Cheers,
Ben
Fight magnets with magnets! (Score:1)
Re:U of T baby! (Score:1)
Magnetic logic elements?! (Score:2)
Re:U of T baby! (Score:1)
Re:magnetic chips (Score:1)
Re:Fight magnets with magnets! (Score:1)
If you ever look a a sheilded speaker, you will see why they weigh a bit - the large magnet on the back is completely surrounded by a heavy steel "cap", which goes over and around the magnet, and shunts the magnetic flux lines away from the rear/sides of the speaker.
It isn't really possible for someone to DIY this kind of shielding - generally, one has to buy the speaker that way, and such bare speakers usually aren't cheap (though it is possible to get surplus ones that are fairly inexpensive).
Just to let you know...
Re:Anti-static cling (Score:1)
(speaking of baked...)
moldable magnets (Score:1)
Re: Floppy Foibles? (Score:1)
Not too great (Score:1)
back into a neutral shape.
could impact the medical world (Score:1)
These moldable magnets maybe could be used in sugical applications to help increase steady blood flow. For example, to coat that pin you just got in your [leg/hip/elbow], increase circulation and speed up the healing process. I'm sure heart patients could benefit greatly from this as well.
Well, that's my 2 cents...
Re:Idiot (Score:1)
Re:I SAW JON KATZ ON CSPAN (Score:1)
Re:Transformers (Score:1)
Re:Transformers (Score:1)
:-)
Re:host of applications (Score:1)