Press Release

Electron Energy Corporation Awarded Research Contract by National Science Foundation

Landisville, PA, (January 21, 2008) — Long-standing innovator in the field of rare-earth magnets, Electron Energy Corporation (EEC) has been awarded a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Phase I research and development of anisotropic magnet powder coated with iron (Fe) nanoparticles for high performance nanocomposite magnets. The contract runs from January through June 2008.  EEC will be supported in this effort by the University of Delaware’s Physics Department under the leadership of Dr. George Hadjipanayis .

“As a result of this research, we’re in the position to develop an entirely new class of magnet materials that have substantially higher magnetic properties than those currently in the marketplace. Advances in the performance of magnet materials will enable more compact, lighter weight, less costly electromagnetic devices,” said Michael H. Walmer, EEC president.

The more prominent applications for higher field strength magnets are in spacecraft, microwave components, sensors, and commercial systems including computer disk drives, medical imaging, audio systems and motors.

EEC’s higher field strength magnets will be useful in developing more powerful communications amplifiers with higher data transmission rates, more available bandwidth, and less susceptibility to interference and jamming. Today, this is especially important as traffic increases on the current internationally recognized transmission frequency bands.

Higher field strength magnet materials will also allow smaller and lighter magnets to be used in these applications where the smallest reductions in weight and mass translate into significant savings. In space-based applications, for example, weight reduction can result in savings of over $100,000 per pound depending on the space vehicle and launch system.

“EEC’s Phase I  proposal combines physics, chemistry and metallurgy with a unique understanding of magnetism at the nanoscale level, which offer new insights to creating nanocomposite powder for permanent magnets with superior properties,” said Peter Dent, EEC director of sales and marketing.

For over a decade, researchers predicted the great potential of exchange-coupled nanocomposite magnets, yet have not successfully produced magnets that come close to achieving these properties. “The innovation of our approach lies in the Fe nanoparticle coating of anisotropic hard magnetic powders that act as a substrate,” said Jinfang Liu, Ph.D., director of technology at EEC and an internationally-recognized researcher in rare earth magnet materials and systems.

EEC is the only U.S. producer of rare earth magnets and the only company in the world to produce ultra-high temperature SmCo magnets capable of operating continuously at temperatures up to 550 °C, holding a broad U.S. patent to protect this technology. Since 1996, EEC has been granted 17  Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) or SBIR Phase I and Phase II programs, which resulted in three patents and more than 20 papers published in professional journals.

For more information about Electron Energy Corporation’s magnets, design engineering services and magnet assemblies and systems, call toll-free at 1-800-824-2735. Our staff of engineering specialists is available for free technical consultations.