The magnetron sputtering system has been in use for several decades now. Even recently, there have been advancements that have improved the performance of the sputtering system in general. For instance, the closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique has now been developed so that it can be routinely used to deposit high-quality coatings of an extensive...Continue Reading

Introduction to Rare Earth Element Promethium Promethium is an interesting element when you consider its physical and chemical properties, as well as its occurrence and production. It is an extremely rare metal, with only about 500–600 grams naturally occurring in the earth’s crust at any given time. However, it is not stable and therefore undergoes...Continue Reading

Neodymium is a metal with atomic number 60, belonging to the lanthanide series of metals on the periodic table. The name Neodymium is derived from the Greek word ‘neos didymos’, which means new twin. Neodymium is a rare-earth metal that is used with iron and boron to create powerful permanent magnets, which are called NdFeB...Continue Reading

Introduction: What is Lutetium? Lutetium is a silvery-white rare-earth metal. It is the last element in the lanthanide series. Lutetium was independently found by three scientists (Georges Urbain, Baron Carl Auer von Welsbach, and Charles James) as an impurity in the mineral ytterbia, which was previously thought to consist only of ytterbium. It has an...Continue Reading

Introduction Lanthanum is a rare-earth element with a silvery-white appearance. It is represented as La and is number one on the lanthanide series. Lanthanum is described as the second most reactive element in the lanthanide series. Contrary to its classification as a rare-earth element, lanthanum is the 28th most abundant element. It is also the...Continue Reading

Overview of Holmium Holmium is a silvery-white rare-earth element commonly represented as Ho. This element is soft, malleable, and relatively volatile. Its name is derived from the Latin variant of Stockholm (Holmia). Jacques-Louis Soret and Marc Delafontaine are the two scientists credited for discovering Holmium. It was first discovered in 1878 and was first isolated by...Continue Reading

Gadolinium is a rare-earth metal commonly used in important applications like magnetic resonance imaging techniques and jewelry manufacture. It is commonly represented as Gd and has an atomic number 64. Since its discovery in 1880 by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac, it wasn’t available in its pure form until Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran — a...Continue Reading

Europium is a chemical element that belongs to the Lanthanide series. This means it is a rare-earth element. It is distinct for being the most reactive, the rarest, the least dense, and the softest rare-earth element. It is so reactive that it is stored beneath a non-reactive fluid. Europium is named after Europe. Paul-Émile Lecoq...Continue Reading

Introduction Erbium is one of the 17 rare-earth elements. This means it also belongs to the lanthanide series. Its atomic number is 68, and its symbol is Er. When one is told that Erbium is a rare-earth metal, one might expect it to be challenging to come across. However, Erbium ranks number 45 in the...Continue Reading