Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 chemically similar metallic elements comprising the lanthanides (lanthanum to lutetium) plus scandium and yttrium, characterized by partially filled 4f electron shells that confer unique magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties. In geochemistry and materials science, REEs are typically divided into light and heavy subgroups based on atomic number and ionic radius, which control partitioning behavior, coordination chemistry, and lattice incorporation in minerals. Their coherent but subtly fractionated behavior in magmatic, metamorphic, and sedimentary processes makes REE patterns powerful tracers of source composition, redox conditions, and fluid–rock interaction in Earth and planetary systems.
Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation program said Thursday.
Environment
Jul 3, 2025
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They're in the headlines every week—critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and the rare earth elements essential for high-technology and national security applications.
Earth Sciences
Jun 30, 2025
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In an increasingly connected world, rare earth metals with odd names such as lanthanum, cerium and yttrium have become strategic assets. They are used in everything from mobile phones to wind turbines to electric vehicles. ...
Environment
Jun 17, 2025
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Rare earth elements are critical to many industries—used in electric motors, medical imaging and diagnostics, oil and gas refining, and computer and phone screens. The 17 rare earth elements all have important uses and ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2025
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A more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to extracting rare earth elements that power everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones could increase domestic supply and decrease reliance on costly ...
Nanomaterials
Apr 30, 2025
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Prodigious siblings can be annoying. All too often, they steal the spotlight and cast behind them an infuriating shadow of achievement and high expectation. The same is true in mineralogy, where some minerals have long existed ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 7, 2025
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An international group of researchers has developed a novel approach that enhances the efficiency of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key process in renewable energy technologies. By introducing rare earth single atoms ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 28, 2024
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The National Institute for Materials Science has successfully synthesized a new SmFe-based magnetic compound, SmFe8.8N1.1, which possesses superior intrinsic magnetic properties when compared to those of NdFeB compound used ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 24, 2024
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The special properties of rare earth magnetic materials are due to the electrons in the 4f shell. Until now, the magnetic properties of 4f electrons were considered almost impossible to control.
Condensed Matter
Jul 19, 2024
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Researchers 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 ...
Nanomaterials
Jun 25, 2024
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