ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2025 7 a solid without ever melting the alloy,” says Gwalani. “Because the metal is not exposed to high heat and doesn’t actually melt, this process results in less oxidation and unwanted phase transitions in the material. Also, while we are applying pressure, it’s less than one MPa, whereas conventional magnet manufacturing techniques apply more than 100 MPa.” Researchers also found that the new approach eliminated porosity in the magnetic material. “This is because conventional techniques apply pressure in only one direction, which means the pressure is applied largely to the top and bottom of the material, forcing porosity into the center,” says Gwalani. “Because our technique involves rotating the material as pressure is applied, that pressure is distributed throughout the material.” The combination of pressure, rotation, and frictional heating means there are no pockets or bubbles in the magnetic material. ncsu.edu. GOLD HYDRIDE FORMS UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS An international team led by scientists at the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, Calif., formed solid binary gold hydride for the first time, a compound made exclusively of gold and hydrogen atoms. The researchers were studying how long it takes hydrocarbons to form diamonds under extremely high pressure and heat. In their experiments at the European XFEL (X-ray Free-Electron Laser) in Germany, the team studied the effect of those conditions on hydrocarbon samples by using an embedded gold foil meant to absorb the x-rays and heat the weakly absorbing hydrocarbons. To their surprise, they not only saw the formation of diamonds, but also discovered the formation of gold hydride. In their study, researchers squeezed hydrocarbon samples to extreme pressures using a diamond anvil cell. Next, they heated the samples to over 3500°F by hitting them with x-ray pulses. The team analyzed how the x-rays scattered off the samples, which allowed them to resolve the structural transformations within. As expected, the scattering patterns showed that the carbon atoms had formed a diamond structure—but the team also saw unexpected signals that were due to hydrogen atoms reacting with the gold foil to form gold hydride. slac.stanford.edu. Fibercraft™ Heating Elements Offer Superior Performance in High-Temperature Applications. • Temp Range up to 1200°C (2200°F) • Exceptional Durability • Versatile Application • Customizable Design TC 8.375X5.5625_031025.indd 1 3/11/25 2:10 PM Researchers at SLAC view the gold lattice as evidence of hydrogen’s behavior.
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