source:the armchair traderThe spotlight often falls on renewable technologies like solar panels and wind turbines in the quest for a sustainable and clean energy future. However, the true heroes behind these innovations are the materials that make them possible.Iridium and rare-earth elements (REEs) play a crucial, albeit less talked about, role in this transition.Iridium, a member of the platinum group metals, is essential for the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysers. Meanwhile, rare-earth elements, despite their name, are relatively abundant and are vital in manufacturing high...
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2024
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source:physics worldResearchers at Princeton University in the US have made a key step towards realizing scalable quantum networks thanks to a rare-earth element: erbium. Erbium is good at emitting and absorbing photons at wavelengths used in the telecommunications industry, which is an advantage because these photons can travel long distances with little attenuation in standard optical fibres. Harnessing this strength in the quantum realm has been a challenge, but the Princeton team managed to coax an erbium-based device into emitting identical photons – a prerequisite for quantum repeaters t...
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2024
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source:the japan timesThey call them “critical minerals” for a reason. Cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel and the tongue-twisting assortment of rare earth elements (REEs) are the bedrock of the 21st-century economy.Without sufficient supplies, there is no digital transformation, no green transformation and none of the technologies that are already the stuff of daily life.Global demand for these raw materials is expected to more than double in the next five years. Shortages are anticipated. The International Energy Agency estimates that current mining plans will not allow us to meet the target of ...
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2024
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source: Trinity College DublinResearchers from Trinity College Dublin's School of Natural Sciences have revealed a novel route to the formation of bastnäsite, a crucial mineral for the extraction of rare earth elements (REEs). Their work offers promise in one day making the extraction of these REEs more efficient.The study, published today in the journal Nanoscale, uncovers for the first time how fluocerite, a rare mineral, quickly forms and transforms into bastnäsite. The occurrence and origin of fluocerite in natural deposits has not been fully understood, and it has been very ...
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2024
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