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Critical Minerals · Green Technology · Magnets · Rare Earths
Global demand for rare earth elements is skyrocketing as these 17 critical metals, including lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, prove indispensable for nearly all modern electronics and green technologies, from smartphones and electric vehicles to advanced lasers and quantum computing.
These elements' unique magnetic and luminescent properties, stemming from their f-electrons, enable miniaturization and high performance across diverse applications. Stephen Boyd, a synthetic chemist, confirms their pervasive use, while Ana de Bettencourt-Dias, an inorganic chemist at the University of Nevada, Reno, details their electron-driven capabilities.
More than 95 percent of the world’s permanent magnets, vital for electric vehicle motors and wind turbines, are made from rare earth alloys like neodymium-iron-boron, as noted by Durga Paudyal, a theoretical physicist at Ames National Laboratory. China provides the vast majority of the world's neodymium, creating supply chain concerns, particularly with Tesla's use in Model 3 vehicles.
Tian Zhong, a molecular engineer at the University of Chicago, also highlights their potential in quantum computing.
