What is the most useful rare earth metal?

Neodymium and praseodymium are some of the most sought-after light rare earth elements crucial in products such as motors, turbines and medical devices. Demand for them exploded in recent years with the growth of technology and will continue to climb amid the ongoing race to create a large electric vehicle market.

Why are rare earth elements so useful?

A few rare earth elements are used in oil refining and nuclear power; others are important for wind turbines and electric vehicles; and more specialized uses occur in medicine and manufacturing. The rare earths have become crucial to modern life, but our dependence on them is mostly invisible to American consumers.

Why are rare earth metals used in smartphones?

The only one you will not find is promethium, which is radioactive. Many of the vivid red, blue, and green colors you see on your screen are due to rare-earth metals, which are also used in the smartphone’s circuitry and in the speakers. Also, your phone would not be able to vibrate without neodymium and dysprosium.

Why are rare earth metals used in electronics?

Rare earths are metallic elements, and therefore contain unique properties, including high heat resistance, strong magnetism, high electrical conductivity, and high luster.

What are rare earth magnets used for?

They are made of an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron (Nd2Fe14B), sometimes abbreviated as NIB. Neodymium magnets are used in numerous applications requiring strong, compact permanent magnets, such as electric motors for cordless tools, hard disk drives, magnetic holddowns, and jewelry clasps.

What rare earth elements are used in electronics?

Some of the rare-earth metals (and their atomic weights) that are commonly used in electronics include lanthanum (57), cerium (58), neodymium (60), samarium (62), europium (63), terbium (65), and dysprosium (66).

How much gold is in a iPhone?

around 0.034g
A typical iPhone is estimated to house around 0.034g of gold, 0.34g of silver, 0.015g of palladium and less than one-thousandth of a gram of platinum.

How are rare-earth metals used in cell phones?

Many of the vivid red, blue, and green colors you see on your screen are due to rare-earth metals, which are also used in the smartphone’s circuitry and in the speakers. Also, your phone would not be able to vibrate without neodymium and dysprosium.

Does Tesla use rare-earth metals?

Electric drive motors come in many different designs the most popular being permanent magnet machines, but some designs do not require permanent magnets (and hence rare-earths). The induction motor utilizes a copper or aluminum cage on its rotor, this design has been used historically by Tesla for its Model S and X.

Who uses neodymium magnets?

In the field of information technology, neodymium magnets are particularly used in hard disc drives, mobile phones, video and audio systems of television [1]. Neodymium magnets are also commonly used in magnetic separators, filters, ionizers, in production of on–off buttons, safety sector and security systems.

What rare-earth metals are used in batteries?

Cobalt, a bluish-gray metal found in the Earth’s crust, is one of today’s preferred components used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, cell phones, and EVs.