Rare Earths

High-technology and environmental applications of the rare-earth elements (REE) have grown dramatically in diversity and importance over the past four decades. This book provides a scientific understanding of rare earth properties and uses, present and future. It also points the way to efficient recycle of the rare earths in end-of-use products and efficient use of rare earths in new products. Scientists and students will appreciate the book's approach to the availability, structure and properties of rare earths and how they have led to myriad critical uses, present and future. Experts should buy this book to get an integrated picture of production and use (present and future) of rare earths and the science behind this picture. This book will prove valuable to.non-scientists as well in order to get an integrated picture of production and use of rare earths in the 21st Century, and the science behind this picture.

Jacques Lucas is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and Emeritus Professor at the University of Rennes, France. He has co-authored several books on glasses, ceramics, and optics. He has been involved in rare earths research (photonics) as well as teaching for more than 40 years. He published more than 450 articles and co-chaired several international conferences devoted to rare earths doped optical materials. He founded and headed the CNRS Glass and Ceramic laboratory at University of Rennes for 30 years. Three start-up companies were founded based on the laboratory discoveries. He has also been Associate professor at University of Arizona and invited Professor at Kyoto University, Japan as well as at Shanghai University, PR China. He is in close contact with Solvay, the world leading company in rare earth separation, as well as with the Chinese and Japanese rare earth scientific community.

1. Overview2. Rare Earth Production, Uses and Prices3. Rare Earths Mining and Concentrate Production4. Rare Earth Elements Extraction from Concentrates5. Rare Earths Purification, Separation and Precipitation and Calcination6. Production of Rare Earth Metals and Alloys - Electrowinning7. Metallothermic Rare Earth Metal Reduction8. Rare earths electronic structures and trends in properties9. Rare Earths based Catalysts10. Rare Earths in Rechargeable Batteries11. Rare Earths in Alloys and Metals12. Polishing with Rare Earth Oxides mainly cerium oxide CeO213. Permanent magnets based on Rare Earths: Fundamentals14. Rare Earths based Magnets: Fundamentals15. Rare Earths based Magnets: Preparation and Uses16. Rare Earths Luminescent Materials: Introduction17. Rare Earths Luminescent Materials: Applications18. Rare Earth doped Lasers and Optical Amplifiers19. Rare Earth Recycle20. Epilogue