rare earth element
Neodymium, for one
A rare earth element is one of seventeen metallic elements—the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium—that share similar chemical properties.
Despite the name, most aren't particularly rare in Earth's crust, just difficult to extract and separate from one another.
They're essential in electronics, magnets, and green technologies: Rare earth elements are critical for wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries.
Rare-earth metallic element
- ceriumAtomic number fifty-eight
- lanthanumAtomic number fifty-seven
- yttriumElement number thirty-nine
- scandiumElement twenty-one
samarium · europium · gadolinium · terbium · dysprosium · holmium · erbium · thulium
Battery-powered motor transport
- batteriesPortable energy storage units
- catalytic convertersExhaust system emission reducers
- fiber opticsLight-carrying cable technology
- lasersAmplified coherent light sources
LEDs · phosphors · semiconductors · superconductors · photovoltaics · displays · smartphones · defense systems
East Asian superpower
- supply chainProduct delivery infrastructure
- trade restrictionsBarriers limiting international exchange
- recyclingReprocessing used materials
- stockpilingAccumulating supplies in quantity
dependency · shortages · price volatility · domestic production · sustainability · environmental concerns
Self-sustaining magnetic material
- remanenceResidual magnetization after demagnetizing
- fluxContinuous change or flow
- ferromagnetismStrong atomic magnetic alignment
- magnetizationAcquiring magnetic polarity
wind turbines · electric motors · hard drives · speakers · MRI machines · magnetic field · sintered · bonded
Metal-bearing rock
- extractionAct of removing
- separationState of being apart
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
- tailingsPost-extraction mineral waste
open-pit · deposits · reserves · processing · concentration · leaching · China · Australia
neodymium
Rare-earth metallic element
scandium · samarium · europium · gadolinium · terbium · dysprosium · holmium · erbium · thulium · ytterbium
electric vehicles
Battery-powered motor transport
- batteriesPortable energy storage units
- catalytic convertersExhaust system emission reducers
- fiber opticsLight-carrying cable technology
lasers · LEDs · phosphors · semiconductors · superconductors · photovoltaics · displays · smartphones · defense systems · guidance systems
China
East Asian superpower
- supply chainProduct delivery infrastructure
- trade restrictionsBarriers limiting international exchange
- recyclingReprocessing used materials
stockpiling · dependency · shortages · price volatility · domestic production · sustainability · environmental concerns
permanent magnet
Self-sustaining magnetic material
- remanenceResidual magnetization after demagnetizing
- fluxContinuous change or flow
- ferromagnetismStrong atomic magnetic alignment
magnetization · wind turbines · electric motors · hard drives · speakers · MRI machines · magnetic field · sintered · bonded · demagnetization
ore
Metal-bearing rock
- extractionAct of removing
- separationState of being apart
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
tailings · open-pit · deposits · reserves · processing · concentration · leaching · China · Australia · Brazil
rare earth elementoxygen
Element eight, colorless gas
silicon · iron · aluminum · major element · calcium
rare earth elementnoble gas
Unreactive periodic table element
halogen · nonmetal · transition metal · metalloid · actinide
rare, rarer, rarest, rarely, rareness, rarity, earth, earths, earthen