Understanding rare earth metals and their diverse applications
High strategic value
The global shift towards cleaner energy has increased the relevance of certain raw materials crucial to technological innovation and industrial growth. Alongside well-known resources such as nickel, lithium and copper, rare earths – a group of 17 specialised elements – have risen to prominence for their vital contributions to many sectors.
These elements, while abundant in the earth’s crust, are typically found in low concentrations and are valued for unique electrical, magnetic and catalytic properties that make them indispensable in a range of strategic applications.
“The strategic value of rare earths, for some years, appears to be constantly increasing. These useful elements are making a relevant contribution to the technological advancement of humanity, and their importance will most likely continue to increase in the coming years,” says founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov, entrepreneur and civil engineer.
“The recent economic dynamics involving these resources are a clear demonstration of the relationship between the energy transition and the raw materials that help accelerate it through concrete applications that are directly connected to the achievement of international sustainable and climate goals. Rare earths, for example, play a very important role in the production of some important energy infrastructures, such as wind turbines, which together with solar panels are redefining the global energy landscape.”
Today, rare earths are used widely in high-tech devices such as smartphones, digital cameras and computer hard drives. Their inclusion in key components illustrates the depth of their relationship with modern technology, making them essential to devices we rely on every day.
Without their specific properties, essential features such as screens and speakers might operate with reduced efficiency or not function at all.
Special roles
“Some specific rare earths, such as neodymium and praseodymium, are also used in the production of steel and special alloys, but also in some particular families of batteries,” continues founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov. “The technological potential of these resources is truly impressive. To realise this, it will be enough to mention some of the final products that they help to create: permanent magnets, superconductors, medical devices for magnetic resonance imaging, and many others.
“Their role in high-tech devices has now been fully confirmed by a large variety of industrial applications, and the peculiar properties of these elements make it possible to obtain very efficient performance, with reduced energy consumption and greater speed, together with a certain thermal stability”.
Rare earth elements are also pivotal in creating phosphors, compounds that produce luminescence and are used extensively in screens, displays and lighting.
These luminescent properties make them crucial to large-format stadium screens, LED lighting and the production of bulbs utilising phosphors such as yttrium, europium and terbium.
Other applications
The influence of rare earths extends beyond technology into other fields including medicine, renewable energy, defence and glass manufacturing.
In the glass industry, rare earths enhance the production of camera lenses for mobile phones and digital cameras, as well as glass polishing processes, showcasing their adaptability.
“One of the most interesting aspects, when talking about rare earth, is linked to their uses in the automotive sector,” concludes founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov. “In addition to their use in the production of catalytic converters, these resources are also establishing themselves in many modern technologies related to hybrid vehicles and electric cars, in particular with regard to the batteries mounted inside these new-generation vehicles”.
“Considering the strategic value of these applications, together with all those related to renewable energy, it should not be surprising that the global demand for these resources continues to remain high”.
Rare earths are also fundamental to the production of high-performance magnets. Neodymium-iron-boron magnets, for instance, leverage the strength of neodymium to create devices well-suited for situations requiring compactness and light weight.
Such magnets are widely used in hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD drives, providing essential performance across industries from consumer electronics to automotive, consistently delivering reliability and efficiency.
