A multidisciplinary team of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers with substantial support from the public and private sectors was assembled to develop new materials with improved magnetic and mechanical properties at high temperature. The group worked on the refinement of existing soft bulk materials while conducting research on novel nanocrystalline magnets in parallel. The team also studied existing and new high temperature permanent magnetic materials for use in aircraft engine applications. A vigorous search for new magnetic materials, both hard and soft, was conducted. Prototypes for bulk soft magnets were Fe-Co alloys. The effects of alloy grain size, structural order, orientation, and texture were studied to maximize induction and permeability, and minimize hysteretic and eddy current losses at elevated temperatures. Investigation of nanocrystalline materials for soft magnetic applications proceeded on two fronts: plasma synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles followed by the use of compaction techniques to form dense magnets, and the nanocrystallization of amorphous precursors to produce exchange coupled magnetic nanocrystals. The first effort has led to the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles, of new core shell structures, and nanocrystalline ferrites. The second effort has led to the discovery of a new nanocrystalline soft magnetic material called HITPERM on which work continues to explore its use in power electronic applications. For hard magnetic materials capable of operating at up to 400 degrees, the team investigated Co-containing 2:17, 1:12, and 3:29-based permanent magnet materials. They investigated the fundamental properties of these alloy systems as well as processing protocols for engineering optimal microstructures for hard magnetic properties. Co-containing 3:29 phase magnets have extended the temperature range of these materials. Rapid solidification was used to tailor microstructure and harness anisotropy.

A laser speckle interferometer has been purchased with DURIP funds (F49620-98-1-0185) and supported by AASERT funding to the MURI program entitled: "Advanced Magnetic Materials for Aircraft Power Applications" (F49620-96-1-0454). This instrument has been used to measure magnetic domain patterns in Fe-Si and NiMnGa alloys. It has been integrated with a laboratory electromagnet and an automated computer control program. It is currently being used in the thesis project of Mark Storch to measure components of the magnetostriction tensor for FeCo alloys.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

In December 2002, the world's first commercial magnetic levitation super-train went into operation in Shanghai. The train is held just above the rails by magnetic levitation (maglev) and can travel at a speed of 400 km/hr, completing the 30km journey from the city to the airport in minutes. Now consumers are enjoying 50 GB hard drives compared to 0.5 GB hard drives ten years ago. Achievements in magnetic materials research have made dreams of a few decades ago reality. The objective of the four volume reference, Handbook of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent progress in magnetic materials research. Each chapter will have an introduction to give a clear definition of basic and important concepts of the topic. The details of the topic are then elucidated theoretically and experimentally. New ideas for further advancement are then discussed. Sufficient references are also included for those who wish to read the original work. In the last decade, one of the most significant thrust areas of materials research has been nanostructured magnetic materials. There are several critical sizes that control the behavior of a magnetic material, and size effects become especially critical when dimensions approach a few nanometers, where quantum phenomena appear. The first volume of the book, Nanostructured Advanced Magnetic Materials, has therefore been devoted to the recent development of nanostructured magnetic materials, emphasizing size effects. Our understanding of magnetism has advanced with the establishment of the theory of atomic magnetic moments and itinerant magnetism. Simulation is a powerful tool for exploration and explanation of properties of various magnetic materials. Simulation also provides insight for further development of new materials. Naturally, before any simulation can be started, a model must be constructed. This requires that the material be well characterized. Therefore the second volume, Characterization and Simulation provides a comprehensive review of both experimental methods and simulation techniques for the characterization of magnetic materials. After an introduction, each section gives a detailed description of the method and the following sections provide examples and results of the method. Finally further development of the method will be discussed. The success of each type of magnetic material depends on its properties and cost which are directly related to its fabrication process. Processing of a material can be critical for development of artificial materials such as multilayer films, clusters, etc. Moreover, cost-effective processing usually determines whether a material can be commercialized. In recent years processing of materials has continuously evolved from improvement of traditional methods to more sophisticated and novel methods. The objective of the third volume, Processing of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in processing of advanced magnetic materials. Each chapter will have an introduction and a section to provide a detailed description of the processing method. The following sections give detailed descriptions of the processing, properties and applications of the relevant materials. Finally the potential and limitation of the processing method will be discussed. The properties of a magnetic material can be characterized by intrinsic properties such as anisotropy, saturation magnetization and extrinsic properties such as coercivity. The properties of a magnetic material can be affected by its chemical composition and processing route. With the continuous search for new materials and invention of new processing routes, magnetic properties of materials cover a wide spectrum of soft magnetic materials, hard magnetic materials, recording materials, sensor materials and others. The objective of the fourth volume, Properties and Applications of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent development of various magnetic materials and their applications. Each chapter will have an introduction of the materials and the principles of their applications. The following sections give a detailed description of the processing, properties and applications. Finally the potential and limitation of the materials will be discussed.

Magnetic Materials and their Applications discusses the principles and concepts behind magnetic materials and explains their applications in the fields of physics and engineering. The book covers topics such as the principal concepts and definitions related to magnetism; types of magnetic materials and their electrical and mechanical properties; and the different factors influencing magnetic behavior. The book also covers topics such as permanent-magnet materials; magnetic materials in heavy-current engineering; and the different uses of magnetic materials. The text is recommended for physicists and electrical engineers who would like to know more about magnetic materials and their applications in the field of electronics.

This book reports on recent progress in emerging technologies, modern characterization methods, theory and applications of advanced magnetic materials. It covers broad spectrum of topics: technology and characterization of rapidly quenched nanowires for information technology; fabrication and properties of hexagonal ferrite films for microwave communication; surface reconstruction of magnetite for spintronics; synthesis of multiferroic composites for novel biomedical applications, optimization of electroplated inductors for microelectronic devices; theory of magnetism of Fe-Al alloys; and two advanced analytical approaches for modeling of magnetic materials using Everett integral and the inverse problem approach. This book is addressed to a diverse group of readers with general background in physics or materials science, but it can also benefit specialists in the field of magnetic materials.

The Final Proceedings for ADVANCED MAGNETIC MATERIALS FOR MORE-ELECTRIC MILITARY VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC PULSE POWER SYSTEMS(AVT-060), 26 June 2000 - 29 June 2000. Topics include: More Electric Airplane, Thermal Management, Rare Earth Magnets, Soft Magnetic Materials, Electric Weapons, Electrodeposition Technique, All Electric Vehicle, Magnetic Domains, Magnetic Nanoparticles, and Application of Novel Magnetic Materials. This was a NATO East-West Partnership for Peace Conference held in Marathon, Greece on 25-30 June, 2000.