Applications of REE

The Mountain Pass Mine in California's the Mojave Desert, near the Nevada border, was built in response to a search for uranium deposits in the United States. The mine's uranium and thorium resources were not useful, but its rare earth element deposits were. The mining and separation factory extracted europium in the early 1950s, which was utilized to make red phosphors for newly invented color television technology. Later, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium were added to the mix.

During the Cold War (1945–1991), the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in massive increases in government-funded research and development in a variety of fields, including rare earth elements. In the 1960s, researchers from the United States Air Force created samarium-cobalt magnets. Even when extremely hot, this material maintained its strong magnetic characteristics, allowing for more powerful radar sensors. Scandium was employed by Soviet metallurgists in the 1980s to make aluminum tougher and lighter, which improved the performance of MiG-29 fighter jets. Laser research led to the creation of yttrium-aluminum-garnet lasers, which are utilized as laser rangefinders or target designators in guided weapons.

 

 

Consumer items incorporating rare earth elements were developed as a result of corporate and industrial research. The nickel-metal hydride battery, which used lanthanum and neodymium, was developed as a result of battery research in the 1970s and 1980s. These batteries may be recharged multiple times while still carrying a significant amount of energy for their size (size). In the 1990s, they became popular for use in portable gadgets like video cameras, and they were widely utilized in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, which debuted in 2001. In the 1980s, GM researchers developed neodymium-iron-boron magnets and founded Magnequench, a firm that manufactures the lightweight, powerful permanent magnets used in power windows and door locks, windshield wiper motors, and electric engine starters. As personal computers became more common in American homes and companies during the 1990s, Magnequench developed a lucrative market supplying tiny magnets for computer hard drives.

 

REEs – primarily europium, terbium, and yttrium – are used as phosphor compounds in the majority of energy-efficient lighting and display panels. This is a fast-growing industry, with LED screen producers accounting for the second-largest commercial REE market. There are many other possibilities. A mixed REE alloy is utilized in the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries used in hybrid cars and countless other electrical items (mostly lanthanum). Cerium is used as part of the catalyst in catalytic converters to convert NOx to innocuous Nitrogen, Oxygen, and harmful CO to CO2. Fluid-cracking catalysts, which are increasingly being utilized in the petrochemical industry to improve the efficiency of the refining process, contain REEs — usually lanthanum.

 

Element	Applications
Scandium	Metal alloys for the aerospace industry.
Yttrium	Ceramics, metal alloys, lasers, fuel efficiency, microwave communication for satellite industries, color televisions, computer monitors, and temperature sensors. Used by DoD in targeting and weapon systems and communication devices. Defined by DOE as critical in the short- and mid-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Lanthanum	Batteries, catalysts for petroleum refining, electric car batteries, high-tech digital cameras, video cameras, laptop batteries, X-ray films, and lasers. Used by DoD in communication devices. Defined by DOE as near-critical in the short-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Cerium	Catalysts, polishing, metal alloys, lens polishes (for glass, television faceplates, mirrors, optical glass, silicon microprocessors, and disk drives). Defined by DOE as near-critical in the short-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Praseodymium	Improved magnet corrosion resistance, pigment, searchlights, airport signal lenses, and photographic filters. Used by DoD in guidance and control systems and electric motors.
Neodymium	High-power magnets for laptops, lasers, and fluid-fracking catalysts. Used by DoD in guidance and control systems, electric motors, and communication devices. Defined by DOE as critical in the short- and mid-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Promethium	The beta radiation source, fluid-fracking catalysts.
Samarium	High-temperature magnets, reactor control rods. Used by DoD in guidance and control systems and electric motors.
Europium	Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), fluorescent lighting, and glass additives. Used by DoD in targeting and weapon systems and communication devices. Defined by DOE as critical in the short- and mid-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Gadolinium	Magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, glass additives.
Terbium	Phosphors for lighting and display. Used by DoD in guidance and control systems, targeting and weapon systems, and electric motors. Defined by DOE as critical in the short- and mid-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies.
Dysprosium	High-power magnets, lasers. Used by DoD in guidance and control systems and electric motors. Defined by DOE as critical in the short- and mid-term based on projected supply risks and importance to clean energy technologies
Holmium	Highest power magnets.
Erbium	Lasers, glass colorant.
Thulium	High-power magnets.
Ytterbium	Fiber-optic technology, solar panels, alloys (stainless steel), lasers, and radiation source for portable X-ray units.
Lutetium	X-ray phosphors.