Cooperative Agreement DEAR0001681

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (CFDA 47.041) awarded a $575,292 Project Grant to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to conduct fundamental research on creating bulk nanocomposite permanent magnets without the use of rare-earth metals. The overarching goal is to design, fabricate, and investigate structure-property relationships in additively manufactured nanocomposite permanent magnets that can achieve energy products around 15 mega-gauss-oersted. To...

This federal Project Grant award, valued at $697,264 and awarded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), supports research to develop a new manufacturing process for fabricating rare earth permanent magnets via three-dimensional (3D) printing and decomposition of hydrogels. The primary objectives are to (1) create 3D-printable hydrogel inks containing rare earth and other metallic elements, and (2) understand the composition and microstructure evolution...

This $527,669 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program supports research at the University of Utah to enable L10 ordering in bulk FeNi alloys. The project aims to develop low-cost permanent magnets as an alternative to neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, which are in high demand but rely on imports of rare earth elements. The research focuses on enhancing the diffusion kinetics in FeNi alloys to achieve...

This NSF-MEITY Project Grant award, valued at $619,688, supports research to understand the additive manufacturing (AM) of rare earth permanent magnets. Led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in collaboration with the India Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, the project aims to: (1) design alloys tailored for the solidification conditions encountered during AM; (2) conduct in-situ studies of the AM process to gain insights into the processing science of complex alloy systems; and (3)...

This National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project Grant of $273,920 was awarded to American Magnet Company, LLC on April 1, 2023 for completion by March 31, 2024. The grant is being used to demonstrate the feasibility of producing reduced-carbon emissions steel using super-pure iron ore powder and hydrogen under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). Specifically, the company is developing a process to directly reduce...

The Department of Defense (DOD), through its Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III program (CFDA 12.777), awarded a $8,674,454 Cooperative Agreement to Rare Earth Salts Separations And Refining LLC for the commercial production of heavy rare earth elements from recycled lamp phosphors. The award, which commences in September 2024 and runs through December 2026, supports the company's efforts to develop innovative methods for extracting and refining rare earth elements from alternative...

This $6,390,593 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (CFDA 81.089 - Fossil Energy Research and Development) plans to conduct pilot testing to obtain aqueous solutions rich in mixed rare earth elements, critical minerals and materials, and a lithium-containing raffinate. The primary recipient, the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, will work with sub-recipient Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $305,000 to Galvanix Inc. aims to develop a novel process for the continuous electrolytic production of neodymium metal. The project seeks to disrupt the current semi-batch oxyfluoride molten salt electrolysis process, which relies on graphite anodes and produces environmentally harmful byproducts. Galvanix's alternative technology, protected by patent applications and trade...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Phase I SBIR grant of $275,000 awarded to Rivalia Chemical Co. on February 15, 2024 aims to develop a novel ionic-liquid-based process to extract and recover rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash. The broader impact is to establish a sustainable, domestic supply chain for critical REEs needed for clean energy and other advanced technologies, reducing reliance on foreign sources. The project...

Phoenix Tailings Inc. received a $250,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Energy Office of Science on June 28, 2021 to develop an advanced low-energy technique for producing rare earth metals using a mixed halide molten salt. The award is part of the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), which supports basic research to deliver scientific discoveries and tools that transform understanding of nature and advance U.S. energy security and economic...