Spotlight: Changing a Material’s Magnetic Properties

Magnetism demo for social spotlight

Did you know that a material can change its magnetic properties? In this video, our researcher shows how a magnetic steel sample sticks to a magnet (shown in yellow), but once it’s heated above a certain temperature, it loses that property.

That’s because the atoms in the steel sample are arranged in a specific way that makes the material magnetic. But when the steel sample heats up, the atoms change their position relative to one another, making the steel nonmagnetic. Once the steel cools down in the cup of water, its atomic structure reverts to its previous arrangement.

NIST develops measurement methods for magnetic materials and certifies magnetic standard reference materials. These efforts help support U.S. industry in designing magnets and equipment for various fields, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines in medicine, motors in cars, cellphone chargers and power transformers in electronics.