Strong magnetic fields can physically attract and separate oxygen from air

S. Bao, Rui-ping Zhang, Y. Rong, X. Zhi, L. Qiu. Interferometric study of the heat and mass transfer during the mixing and evaporation of liquid oxygen and nitrogen under non-uniform magnetic field. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJHEATMASSTRANSFER.2019.02.044

Experiments show that non-uniform magnetic fields affect mass transfer and effectively separate oxygen and nitrogen.

Jasek K, Pasternak M, Grabka M. Paramagnetic Sensors for the Determination of Oxygen Concentration in Gas Mixtures.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.2c00938

Reviews the physical principles showing how oxygen's paramagnetic properties draw its molecules into strong magnetic fields.

Wing Chung Liu, R. Selyanchyn, S. Fujikawa. Harnessing Collective Magnetic Forces for Enhanced Modulation of Oxygen Diffusion in CO2/O2 Separation toward Direct Air Capture.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c22235

Demonstrates that magnetic mixed matrix membranes use magnetic interactions to trap and modulate paramagnetic oxygen for separation.

Nady N, Rashad N, Elmarghany MR, Salem MS, Salem N, Kandil SH. A prototype for producing oxygen-rich air using novel magnetic separation cell and magnetic mixed poly(etheresulfone) matrix membranes.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-41766-y

Prototypes utilizing magnetic separation cells exploit the paramagnetism of oxygen to physically attract and enrich it from air streams.