We aim to develop an ultra-strong PM with maximum energy product (BH)max of 800 KJ/M3 with a curie temperature TC > 200 °c. To achieve this, we will computationally design and experimentally target…

The Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded a $1.11 million cooperative agreement to Rutgers, The State University on September 1, 2026, under the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy program (CFDA 81.135) to computationally design and experimentally develop ultra-strong permanent magnets with maximum energy product of 800 kJ/m³ and Curie temperature above 200 degrees Celsius. The work targets rare-earth transition metal nitrides, beginning with the RE3(FE,MN)29NX family and related compositions including Fe16N2 and manganese-containing variants, leveraging preliminary findings indicating unprecedented magnetic capability in these material systems. The award period runs through August 31, 2029, with performance at Piscataway, New Jersey.

We aim to develop an ultra-strong PM with maximum energy product (BH)max of 800 KJ/M3 with a curie temperature TC > 200 °c. To achieve this, we will computationally design and experimentally target both strong (high saturation magnetization) and hard (high coercivity) rare-earth (RE) - transition metal (TM) nitrides, beginning with the complex RE3(FE, MN)29NX family. Initial findings in these materials are strong indicators that a PM with unprecedented capability could be discovered in this family. Addition of n to BCC-FE (making FE16N2) significantly strengthens the magnet, while adding n to SM2FE17 expands the material's volume and thereby increases both strength and hardness, as well as improving the high-temperature behavior. Here, we target MN-containing materials because MN can have a higher moment than