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Scientists have reported laboratory-made iron-nickel materials inspired by tetrataenite, the “cosmic magnet” found in meteorites. But the widely publicized 2022 claim that a simple casting process produced bulk tetrataenite was retracted: follow-up experiments found the reported results were not correct. Other research reports FeNi phases or related magnetic materials, but that is not proof of a commercially competitive replacement for rare-earth magnets.
What is a “cosmic magnet”?
Tetrataenite is an ordered iron-nickel (FeNi) phase found in meteorites. Its unusual atomic arrangement and hard-magnetic properties have made it a target for researchers looking for permanent-magnet materials that do not rely on rare earths. The natural material forms over very long periods in meteorites, which is one reason scientists have explored ways to make related structures in a laboratory.
Finding an ordered FeNi phase is not the same as producing a practical permanent magnet. A useful replacement must retain magnetization against opposing fields and meet other performance and manufacturing requirements.
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Why the celebrated 2022 lab result was retracted
In 2022, a paper titled “Direct Formation of Hard-Magnetic Tetrataenite in Bulk Alloy Castings” claimed tetrataenite formed in cast iron-nickel-phosphorus-carbon alloys. Cambridge’s contemporaneous account quoted materials scientist Lindsay Greer: “What was so astonishing was that no special treatment was needed: we just melted the alloy, poured it into a mould, and we had tetrataenite.” That statement described the claim at the time; it is not evidence that the process worked.
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The journal’s retraction notice, first published on 18 December 2024, says the authors alerted the journal to a potential misinterpretation of experimental data that affected the conclusions. Follow-up experiments by a Cambridge team that included the original corresponding author confirmed that the findings were not correct. Four authors agreed with the retraction; Sergey V. Ketov disagreed. The bulk-casting result should therefore be treated as retracted, not as a successful manufacturing demonstration. Cambridge’s 2022 account remains useful for understanding what was claimed, but the later retraction changes how that claim should be described.
What other laboratory research has shown
2015: L1₀ FeNi in processed alloy ribbons
A separate 2015 Scientific Reports study by Akihiro Makino and colleagues used Fe-Ni-Si-B-P-Cu alloy ribbons and reported a highly chemically ordered L1₀ FeNi phase. The study’s abstract says a magnetic field greater than 3.5 kOe was required for magnetization switching. This was a ribbon-processing result, not the later claim of tetrataenite forming in bulk castings. The reported phase and processing route should not be merged with the retracted 2022 result.
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2018: Meteorite structure as a design inspiration
A 2018 PNAS study examined the nanostructure of tetrataenite-bearing meteorite cloudy zones. It presented these natural structures as inspiration for synthetic materials, while noting that synthetic tetrataenite produced at that point had coercivity below the level needed to compete with rare-earth magnets. Coercivity describes resistance to demagnetization; it is one key measure, not a complete scorecard for a permanent magnet.
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A 2026 Scientific Reports abstract reports room-temperature coercivity of 440 Oe in Fe-Ni-P microwires. It says whether L1₀ FeNi was present was not, in first order, the explanation for that coercivity. This is a later, distinct materials result—not confirmation of the retracted bulk-casting claim, and not by itself evidence of a practical rare-earth substitute.
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How the different results compare
| Case | Material and route | What the evidence says | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural meteorite tetrataenite | Ordered FeNi in meteorites; studied in cloudy-zone nanostructures. | Natural structures have hard-magnetic properties and have inspired synthetic-material research. | Natural occurrence does not demonstrate a scalable manufacturing route. Synthetic coercivity was below rare-earth competition level in the 2018 study. |
| 2015 laboratory ribbons | Fe-Ni-Si-B-P-Cu alloy ribbons, processed and annealed. | The study reported a highly ordered L1₀ FeNi phase and a switching field greater than 3.5 kOe. | It is not the 2022 bulk-casting method and does not establish commercial readiness. |
| 2022 bulk-casting claim | Fe-Ni-P-C cast alloy; claimed direct formation on melting and casting. | The paper was retracted after follow-up experiments confirmed its findings were not correct. | It cannot be cited as a verified route to bulk tetrataenite. |
| 2026 FeNi-inspired microwires | Fe-Ni-P microwires. | The abstract reports 440 Oe room-temperature coercivity and says L1₀ FeNi was not the primary explanation. | It does not reinstate the 2022 claim or demonstrate a competitive permanent magnet. |
Could tetrataenite replace rare-earth magnets?
It remains a research possibility, not an established replacement. The 2018 study’s coercivity caveat is important: a material can contain a promising ordered phase without yet matching the resistance to demagnetization needed for a competitive permanent magnet. The later microwire result is a different material system and does not erase that distinction.
The motivation is partly strategic. Cambridge reported that China sourced 81% of rare earths worldwide in 2017. That is a historical statistic for 2017, reported in a Cambridge account—not a current market-share figure. Reducing reliance on rare-earth supply chains could be valuable, but that goal alone does not show that tetrataenite-based materials meet performance, cost, production-scale, or availability requirements.
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Is the process real or commercially available?
The simple bulk-casting process highlighted in 2022 is not a verified success; the paper behind it was retracted. Separate studies report laboratory ribbons and FeNi-inspired microwires, but the cited evidence does not establish that a tetrataenite magnet is commercially available or ready for industrial use. No consumer kit or verified product follows from these research results.
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