Makeen S's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Rare Earth Alternatives: Investigating  (Mo,W)2(Fe,Co,Ni)3Si Ferromagnets
BASIS Advisor: Rob Lee
Internship Location: University of Arizona: Kong Lab
Onsite Mentor: Dr. Tai Kong



Project Abstract

Rare earths (REs) are a collection of metals critical to modern electronics and magnets, however, there are substantial environmental and supply chain concerns with sourcing these materials. In particular, the vast majority of mining and processing of REs is dominated by China, which has been cited as an uncertain supply chain in light of recent tariffs and trade restrictions. Additionally, the extraction of REs is environmentally hazardous, requiring pit mining and toxic chemical leaching. As an alternative to this resource, this project investigates synthesizing the compounds (Mo,W)2(Fe,Co,Ni)3Si as magnets without the use of rare earths and examining their properties. Samples underwent arc-melting and annealing for synthesis, XRD and SEM imaging to ensure homogeneity, and VSM or PPMS measurements for magnetic analysis. This research was done under Dr. Kong’s mentorship at the University of Arizona. Ultimately, my project aims to explore prospects for non-RE magnets and determine where to direct further research.

    My Posts:

  • Week 12: Adios!

    Twelve weeks sure flew bye, huh? Transitioning out of high school has brought me to terms with the fact that there really are no do-overs. I'm grateful for every moment I've had the last seven years at BASIS Tucson North and beyond its doors. Every success, mistake, friendship, and experience has undoubtedly shaped the man... Read More

  • Week 11: The VSM Saga—A Sticky Situation

    I: Glorious Glue Hi everyone! This week, our main goal was finding a proper high-temperature adhesive for the VSM machine's magnetic measurement. I found some good glues online, but ultimately went with rehydrating our old ceramic adhesive before buying anything. I crushed the dried up glue pellet into dust and mixed it with distilled water... Read More

  • Week 10: The Last VSM Warrior vs. The Forces of Evil

    Teflon begins to release toxic fumes at 300°C. I remembered this fact as the VSM temperature reading in front of me read 240°C and was rapidly climbing. Worried that the tape we used to secure our sample was soon to poison us, I frantically searched for what material it was made of. Fortunately, after finding... Read More

  • Week 9: The Literature Review + College Visits

    Hey everyone! This Wednesday was the first time in a while I've been able to make it to a group meeting and its been really fun! The group meetings are pretty informal and usually consist of progress reports, paper discussions, or presentations led by the lab's graduate students. I brought a loaf of banana bread... Read More

  • Week 8: Back to the Books + VSM

    Hey everyone! Getting back to the project this week things have been picking up a little slowly. We managed to work on rescheduling the SEM analysis we missed two weeks ago, kept reading up on our machine manuals, and started reviewing some new papers. Additionally, I'd like to elaborate on what exactly VSM, our main... Read More

  • Week 7: Spring Break

    This week I'm out for spring break! I'll see you next week with my arm (hopefully!) in better condition!     Read More

  • Week 6: Setbacks and New Horizons

    I usually start off these posts with a joke or two, but this week I’ll get straight to business. This Thursday was free cone day at Dairy Queen, and it was absolutely magical to end a night with some vanilla soft serve. For the more science adjacent section of my week, please read below. We... Read More

  • Week 5: Seeing The SEM, Pushing The PPMS, and Pictures!

    It was spring break for University of Arizona students this week and that made the campus relatively empty. So when I walked into the Physics building Tuesday and there was a big spread of cakes and coffees, I thought they were welcoming me back from the weekend! Unfortunately, it turned out the snacks were out... Read More

  • Week 4: New Machine + SARSEF!

    Hey y’all! Do you ever get that awkward moment when somebody reaches for a handshake and you instinctively put out a fist bump and then they switch to a fist and you switch to a handshake? Yeah it was really embarrassing going through that for a solid fifteen seconds with a grad student this week.... Read More

  • Week 3: BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! + How to XRD

    Hey y’all! This is a BIG blog post so I’m gonna split it up into two parts, this week’s recap and an explanation of XRD. Part 1: Believe in Miracles Allow me to set the scene: It's a usual Monday morning. I forgot my morning coffee so I’m a bit drowsy. Once I’m at the... Read More

  • Week 2: New Methods

    Hi everyone! I don't usually take a lunch break in the lab so I've been chewing a lot of gum and its starting to take its toll on my jaw. For more "sciency" updates, we started off this week analyzing our PPMS data from before the breakdown, trying some new synthesis methods, and making our... Read More

  • Week 1: Lab Equipment and Procedures + Updates!

    Hello again! This week has been the first time since July that I’ve come into the lab in the mornings, so it’s been really fun seeing all the building’s morning people again. In other news, for this blog post, I’m going to go over the lab equipment and procedures I’m using to synthesize and analyze... Read More

  • Week 0: Making Magnets

    Hi everyone! My name is Makeen Shafer and my senior project is a continuation of my research internship at the University of Arizona. More specifically, I've had loads of fun working with Dr. Kong's materials science research group over the last eight months.  My project of interest involves the synthesis and characterization of non-rare earth... Read More