China-born scientist Wang Jianping forged a rare-earth-free magnet. Will it help the West?
While working in his lab at the University of Minnesota more than a decade ago, materials
scientist Jian-Ping Wang achieved a world first.
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Born and educated in China, Wang spent decades studying magnetism, first earning his PhD at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, then pioneering research in
Singapore before joining academia in the United States.
His quest was to create a powerful magnet without
rare-earth elements . The result was the world's first iron nitride magnet, a revolutionary technology forged from iron and nitrogen.
Now, as
US-China tensions escalate over rare-earth exports – a sector
China dominates with 92 per cent of global refining – Wang's invention is gaining urgent attention. His spin-off company, Niron Magnetics, is racing to commercialise these magnets, offering Western technology and automotive giants an alternative to
China 's stranglehold on supply.
The stakes could not be higher. Rare-earth magnets power everything from
EV motors to wind turbines and MRI machines.
China is the world's largest exporter of rare-earth minerals and will restrict exports to the US as part of the protracted trade war. Photo: Reuters
With China tightening export controls on critical minerals like samarium and dysprosium – and US manufacturers scrambling to avoid shortages – Niron's innovation promises a lifeline. Yet challenges remain.
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