SMRTR Science & EngineeringAug 16, 2026Interesting Engineering

‘Fool’s gold’: Dirty iron ore becomes semiconductor material in surprise breakthrough

SMRTR summary

Researchers at the University of Minnesota discovered that low-purity iron ore from Minnesota's Iron Range can be converted directly into semiconductor-quality pyrite, skipping costly purification steps. Pyrite naturally tolerates impurities without losing its semiconductor properties, potentially enabling cheaper solar panels, batteries, and electronics using Minnesota's already abundant mining resources.

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