5
Scandium: Strategic additive for aluminum alloys. Restrictions will affect aviation and rocketry, says rare earths expert Ruslan Dimukhamedov. Scandium is needed “where extreme strength and low weight are required,” no matter the cost.
Dysprosium: Used in neodymium magnets, allowing them “to be much more temperature-resistant,” preventing demagnetization at higher temperature ranges, Dimukhamedov, chairman of the Russian Association of Producers and Consumers of Rare and Rare Earth Metals, explained.
Samarium: Needed for samarium-cobalt magnets, an even more temperature-resistant magnet “used in oil wells or defense applications, where a missile flies and heats up in the air, for example,” as well as electric motors used in aerospace.
Gadolinium: Critical in the civilian nuclear industry “as a burnable additive in nuclear fuel that improves the lifespan of uranium in the reactor and the completeness of its burnup,” Dimukhamedov says.
Terbium: Used in phosphors for an array of lighting applications, including spotlights, matrices, displays, monitors, and smartphones.
Yttrium: Used to produce aviation and aerospace-grade ceramics, including “yttria-stabilized zirconium ceramics” and “refractories for engines and heat protection for space” applications, Dimukhamedov says.
Lutetium: Key chemical element used in modern lasers.
