Unpacking Rare Earth Elements

National Security Application:

• Used in high-quality optical lenses for military surveillance and reconnaissance systems, as well as in radar and sonar transducers. It is also a component in nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries for various defense equipment.

General Critical Input:

• Essential as a catalyst in petroleum refining to produce fuels like jet fuel. It is a primary component of NiMH batteries used in hybrid vehicles and is used to create high-refractive-index glass for camera and telescope lenses.

National Security Application:

• Used as a polishing agent for precision optics in targeting and surveillance systems. It is also a component in thermal imaging systems for combat vehicles and in aerospace polishing.

General Critical Input:

• A vital component in automotive catalytic converters to reduce emissions. It is the industry standard for polishing virtually all glass products, from mirrors to television screens, and is a key ingredient in mischmetal for lighter flints.

National Security Applications:

• A key component in high-strength Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets used in actuators for guided weapons, UAVs, and aircraft flight controls. It is also used in high-strength alloys for aircraft engines and in specialized glass for military-grade monitors and head-up displays (HUDs).

General Critical Input:

• A primary component, along with neodymium, of the powerful NdFeB magnets that drive electric vehicle (EV) motors and wind turbines. It is also used as a colorant for glass and ceramics and in didymium glass for welder’s safety goggles.

National Security Applications:

• The foundational element for the strongest permanent magnets (NdFeB), which are indispensable for precision guidance systems in Tomahawk missiles, actuators in F-35 fighter jets, and motors in UAVs. It is also the active medium in Nd:YAG lasers used for target designation and range-finding in systems like the M1 Abrams tank.

Critical Industrial Input:

• The dominant element in NdFeB magnets used in EV motors, wind turbine generators, computer hard drives, speakers, and cordless tools.

National Security Applications:

•  Used in long-life nuclear batteries (beta-voltaic cells) that provide power for specialized military equipment, missile systems, and space probes where conventional power sources are not feasible. It has also been used in luminous paints for aircraft dials.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Provides power for medical devices like pacemakers. It is also used in portable X-ray sources and thickness-measurement devices for industrial inspection.

National Security Applications:

• The key element in Samarium-Cobalt (SmCo) magnets, which are valued for their high thermal stability and are essential for missile guidance systems (e.g., AIM-120 AMRAAM), radar systems (Patriot and Aegis), and electronic warfare equipment where performance under extreme heat is critical.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Used in high-performance SmCo magnets for high-temperature motors, sensors, and magnetic couplings in the aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing industries. It also serves as a control rod material in nuclear reactors.

National Security Applications:

• Provides the essential red and blue phosphors for high-resolution military-grade monitors, avionics displays, and night-vision systems, enabling superior situational awareness. Its fluorescent properties are also used as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• The primary red phosphor used in all commercial color television and computer screens, as well as in energy-efficient fluorescent lighting. It is also used in nuclear reactor control rods.

National Security Applications:

• Has an exceptionally high ability to absorb neutrons, making it valuable for shielding in nuclear-powered submarines and other radiation-sensitive military assets. It is also used in sonar transducers and devices for detecting gamma-ray radiation.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Its unique paramagnetic properties make it the essential contrast agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. It is also used in nuclear reactor shielding.

National Security Application:

• Provides the essential red and blue phosphors for high-resolution military-grade monitors, avionics displays, and night-vision systems, enabling superior situational awareness. Its fluorescent properties are also used as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

General Critical Input:

• The primary red phosphor used in all commercial color television and computer screens, as well as in energy-efficient fluorescent lighting. It is also used in nuclear reactor control rods.

National Security Application:

• Used as an alloying agent with aluminum to create lightweight, high-strength materials for military aerospace applications, including fighter jets.

General Critical Input:

• Used in solid oxide fuel cells, specialized lighting, high-performance ceramics, and electronics. It is also alloyed with aluminum for high-performance sporting goods.

National Security Applications:

• A critical additive to NdFeB magnets to increase their thermal stability for use in military motors and actuators. It is also a component of the magnetostrictive material Terfenol-D, used in advanced sonar systems and for active vibration dampening in armored vehicles.

Critical Industrial Input:

• Provides the green phosphor for LED/LCD screens and fluorescent lighting. It is also a key additive for high-temperature NdFeB magnets used in EV motors and wind turbines.

National Security Applications:

• A critical additive to NdFeB magnets to ensure they maintain their magnetic strength at the high operating temperatures found in aircraft, missile guidance systems, and naval vessels. It is also a component of Terfenol-D for sonar systems.

Critical Industrial Input:

• The primary additive for creating high-temperature NdFeB magnets used in EV motors and wind turbine generators. It is also used in nuclear reactor control rods and data storage applications.

National Security Applications:

• Used in specialized lasers (Ho:YAG) for military targeting, range-finding, and emerging directed energy weapons. It has the highest magnetic moment of any element, allowing it to create extremely powerful magnetic fields for specialized applications and is used in radar-absorbing materials for stealth technology. 

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Used in medical lasers for surgical procedures and in nuclear reactor control rods.

National Security Applications:

• The key element in Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs), which are essential for boosting signals in secure, long-haul military fiber-optic communication networks. It is also used in lasers for targeting and in materials for night-vision systems.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• The foundational element for EDFAs that form the backbone of global telecommunications, including the internet. It is also used in medical and dental lasers and as an alloying agent to improve the workability of metals like vanadium.

National Security Applications:

• Used in high-efficiency lasers for military communications and surgery, as well as in portable X-ray sources for field diagnostics.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Used in medical lasers and portable X-ray machines. Its luminescent properties are used as an anti-counterfeiting feature in Euro banknotes.

National Security Applications:

• A critical dopant for high-power fiber lasers, a key technology for future directed energy weapons and military LiDAR systems.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• Used in fiber optic amplifiers and high-power fiber lasers for industrial cutting and welding. It is also used to strengthen stainless steel, in ultra-precise atomic clocks, and in quantum computing research.

National Security Applications:

• A key component in scintillator materials used in advanced devices that detect gamma-ray radiation, a critical capability for counter-proliferation and identifying nuclear threats.

Critical Industrial Input: 

• The radioactive isotope Lu-177 is a groundbreaking agent in targeted cancer therapies. Lutetium is also used in scintillators for medical PET scans and as a catalyst in petroleum refining.