Magnetic properties
Magnetic materials and their properties are of great importance in different industrial fields, as they are used in devices like motors, generators and transformers.
The fundamental magnetic property of a material is its magnetization and how this is affected by a magnetic field. Every material is in fact ‘magnetic’, but for a non-specialist it is almost always related to ferromagnetic materials. This includes both hard (or permanent) magnets and soft magnetic materials. Soft magnetic materials are used in all electrodynamic devices like motors, generators and transformers, and is therefore of great economic importance.
Magnetic properties are also temperature dependent. Above a certain temperature – called the Curie point – a ferromagnetic material loses its magnetization. Therefore, a magnetic characterization often includes measurements over (sometimes) large temperature intervals. We have a well-equipped magnetometry laboratory.
