Not everyone realizes there are actually 17 rare earth metals that are elements and each has specific purposes and applications. This is a summary of the 17 rare earth metals (elements) that I ran across and how they are currently being used…
What is amazing is that there are constantly new applications and uses being discovered for each element and with 17 separate elements market growth could be exponential as the technology of new materials advances. This list includes both light rare earths and heavy rare earths (SEG named for Samarium, Europium and Gadolinium)…
Cerium: Automobile catalysts and additives, Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) additives, catalysts, metallurgy, polishing, powders and glass and others such as fertilizer, paint drying and a stabilizer in plastics. Applications often overlap with lanthanum.
Lanthanum: Fluid catalytic cracking for petroleum refining, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, metallurgical applications, glass and polishing ceramics lighting.
Neodymium: NdFeB magnets, glass and ceramics applications such as ceramic capacitors, metallurgical applications such as a minor alloying element for iron and steel alloys and magnesium alloys, luminophores and other applications such as NiMH batteries, catalysts and lasers. NdFeB magnets are used in products such as computer hard disk drives, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), precision-guided munitions, automotive motors, wind turbines and loudspeakers.
Dysprosium: Neodymium iron boron permanent magnets, in which it makes up generally about 0.8 percent to 1.2 percent by weight of the magnet, and magnetostrictive alloys.
Holmium: Magnets, magnetostrictive alloys for sensors and actuators.
Praseodymium: Neodymium (NdFeB) magnets, metallurgical applications, pigments, batteries and catalysts.
Erbium: Nearly all erbium is used in polishing and in highly specialized glass lens applications and fiber optics.
Thulium: Portable X-ray devices, research and a dopant in solid-state lasers and highly specialized fiber optics, petroleum refining, NiHM batteries, metallurgical applications, glass and polishing ceramics lighting.
Samarium: Samarium cobalt permanent magnets, which are used in electronics (including military systems), automobiles, aerospace, pumps and medical devices. Other applications include infrared absorption glass, optical glass, fuel cells for nuclear applications and capacitors for microwave frequencies.
Ytterbium: Metallurgical applications for rare earth magnesium alloys and specialty aluminum alloys.
Europium: Phosphors and luminophores, which are used in TV and computer screens, compact fluorescent lighting, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and sensors. Other applications include nuclear and medical applications and some specialty alloys and lasers.
Lutetium: Medical equipment and small quantities in phosphors.
Gadalominium: Metallurgical applications such as magnetic refrigeration, magnesium alloys and specialty alloys. Also used in small amounts for samarium cobalt magnets. Other uses include as a MRI contrasting agent and phosphors for dental and medical applications.
Yttrium: Fluid catalytic cracking for petroleum refining, NiHM batteries, metallurgical applications, glass and polishing ceramics lighting.
Terbium: Phosphors (green) for displays, LEDs and in medical applications, in permanent magnets and for other applications such as high-temperature fuel cells, lasers and magnetostrictive alloys for solid-state transducers and actuators used in sonar and other dual-use technologies.
Scandium: Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), aluminum alloys for aerospace and sporting goods, scandium-sodium lamps for outside venues, laser, optoelectronic materials and LEDs.
Promethium: Promethium is radioactive but has now found use in satellite batteries..
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