Critical Materials Innovation Hub Research Highlights

The Alloy Optimization Software (TAOS)

CMI researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Image of the user-friendly GUI where a suitable CALPHAD database is loaded, an objective is defined within a series of constraints related to phase, composition, etc. The system automatically optimizes for best alloy candidates (lower right panel).

Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Intern studies critical materials and environmental impacts

CMI researchers from Idaho National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

person head and shoulders, with trees in background: Rumeysa Gurler, taking the opportunity to explore the local region.

Evaluating the long-run availability of lithium

CMI researchers from Colorado School of Mines conducted the activity for this highlight

Cumulative Availability Curve for Lithium, 2022, including 124 conventional brine and hard-rock deposits containing 649 MMT LCE in situ resources and additional 41 MMT LCE in 8 selected categories of unconventional deposits for which quantity and cost estimates are available. Other unconventional deposit types are not included in the figure but discussed in the text of the paper.

12 MG-Oe energy product of MM-FeCo-B magnet

CMI researchers from Ames National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Hysteresis loops of MM-FeCo-B magnets with different amount of Nb doping, showing improved loop squareness. About 7.5 wt.% DyPrCu was added as the grain boundary phase

12 MG-Oe energy product of MM-FeCo-B magnet (MM=mischmetal)

CMI researchers from Ames National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Tailored synthesis in nanoparticle permanent magnets (NPPMs)

CMI researchers from Ames National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Milled and unmilled: 1 GPa at 100C. ~50% density and XRD showed no change in lattice. Note that the milled powder heated much more quickly than the unmilled powder, indicating better interparticle connectivity due to reducing the large agglomerates.

Continuous Nd production via chloride-based molten salt electrolysis

CMI researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Case Western Reserve University conducted the activity for this highlight

Cross-Hub synergies advance reduced rare earth magnet discovery

CMI researchers from Ames National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Experimentally constructed phase diagram

Cross-Hub synergies advance reduced rare earth magnet discovery

CMI researchers from Ames National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

Modeling REE binding of lanmodulin to guide separation optimization

CMI researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conducted the activity for this highlight

$diagram for predicting equilibrium composition of REEs bound to LanM from simulated feedstock. Gray and black bars show the fractional composition of the feedstock and the recovered REE mixture. Each colored segment shows the predicted fraction of REE bound with a second lanthanide as shown in the legend.$