Utilizing Magnetism Across Tech: Exploring Its Transformation from Repulsion to Attraction
In our daily lives, the impact of magnetism is ubiquitous, from the revolutionary technology in medical devices to the sustainable energy solutions of magnetic levitation and energy harvesting. This article explores the various ways magnetic materials are being utilised in emerging technologies, environmental applications, and data storage.
Magnetism, a physical phenomenon resulting from the interaction between magnetic fields, generated by the motion of charged particles like electrons, plays a crucial role in our lives. The properties of magnetism are leveraged in numerous ways, from energy conversion to biomedical applications and beyond.
Energy Harvesting
Advanced magnetic materials, such as antiferromagnets and piezomagnetic materials, are key components of energy harvesting devices. Antiferromagnets can efficiently convert heat into electricity, making them promising for thermoelectric energy conversion systems that scavenge waste heat[1]. Piezomagnetic materials, on the other hand, convert mechanical stress into electrical energy and are used in electromagnetic energy harvesters, particularly in vibration-prone environments[3][5]. Implantable energy harvesters integrating electromagnetic and piezomagnetic principles can harvest biomechanical energy from heartbeat, respiration, and chemical reactions in the body to power medical electronics such as pacemakers and sensors[2].
Targeted Cancer Treatment and Antibacterial Therapy
Magnetic nanoparticles and magnetosomes derived from magnetotactic bacteria are being used to deliver drugs or therapeutic agents precisely to tumor sites. These magnetosomes can be hybridised with antibacterial agents (e.g., nanosilver) or therapeutic compounds to enhance antibacterial effects and wound healing without toxicity[4]. Magnetic nanoparticles also enable magnetic hyperthermia, where heat generated under alternating magnetic fields selectively kills cancer cells[6].
Antigravity Devices
While practical antigravity technology remains speculative, research on magnetic materials with unique spin and momentum properties, such as non-coplanar antiferromagnets with tetrahedral magnetic structures, shows promise for novel physical effects that could someday underpin antigravity or propulsion devices[1]. These materials exhibit no net magnetic field but are densely packable and manipulable, opening new physics possibilities. However, confirmed antigravity devices using magnetic materials are not yet realised.
Environmental Applications
Magnetism is being used in environmental applications, such as geophysical surveying for oil and gas exploration, as well as in water purification systems.
Magnetic Storage
Magnetic storage remains a vital component of data centers due to its high storage density and low energy consumption as the need for data storage grows exponentially.
Magnetic Levitation (Maglev)
Magnetic levitation technology involves using magnetic fields to suspend objects, such as trains, in mid-air, eliminating friction and reducing wear and tear.
In summary, magnetic materials are exploited for efficient energy conversion from heat and mechanical vibrations, biomedical applications including cancer treatment and antibacterial therapy using magnetic nanoparticles, exploratory studies for futuristic antigravity concepts based on advanced antiferromagnetic materials[1][2][3][4][5], environmental applications, and magnetic storage. The unseen force of magnetism continues to power innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0856-9 [2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19140-7 [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-019-0645-0 [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-36262-5 [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0856-9 [6] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-36262-5
Other areas where science harnesses the power of magnetism include health and wellness, as magnetism plays a pivotal role in energy harvesting technologies that power medical devices such as implantable energy harvesters, and in targeted cancer treatment and antibacterial therapy using magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia. Additionally, the technology of magnetic levitation (Maglev) employs magnetism to suspend objects, presenting potential solutions for efficient, frictionless transportation.
