16 Mar 14
2 edits
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2014/mar/14/graphene-like-iron-made-in-the-lab
"....Other calculations suggest that changes in the electronic band structure of the iron when it forms a 2D lattice should give it a substantially larger magnetic moment than bulk iron. This, the researchers speculate, could make it useful for magnetic memories. ...”
Although this link doesn't mention this idea, I wonder if this could be used to make a material for cheap iron magnets with no rare chemical elements but with much stronger magnetic fields than normal iron magnets.
If so, perhaps such magnets can one day be made to have a greater magnetic field strength to mass ratio than neodymium magnets.