In this video, I experiment with a metallic composite material. Iron filings are chemically coated with copper by using a copper sulfate solution. The copper filings were dried, coated with flux (boric acid and/or sodium tetraborate), and then set into a graphite ingot mold and exposed to a magnetic field. Molten aluminum was then poured into the mold. A strange oscillating motion occurred during cooling.

Bonding between the aluminum and copper coated iron filings was not satisfactory, however, upon further experiments where all the ingredients were heated together in the crucible, a small amount of the target "composite metal" material was created at the bottom of the crucible, although I was unable to get it to the magnetic field in time.

Portions of this composite material from the bottom of the crucible were found to have a mild thermoelectric effect, and the material was able to generate around 100 millivolts via asymmetric heating. (See also Seebeck effect, Peltier effect, and Thomson effect).

Original music written by Charlie Macklin and Anthony Schenk, performed by Charlie Macklin.