Rare Earths

Researchers in Japan showed that growing Eu-doped GaN on a semipolar GaN plane selectively forms highly efficient Eu luminescent centers while suppressing inefficient Eu clusters. The approach increased room-temperature red emission by 3.6 times, reduced efficiency droop, and points to brighter, wavelength-stable red LEDs for monolithically integrated full-color micro-LED displays using the GaN materials platform.

Myanmar’s digital ecosystem has been a lifeline for many, from education to community and humanitarian support, bringing a sense of stability in the midst of chaos. Alas, it is also a tool for repression, crime, and abuse. IDRC’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar has supported researchers looking into these complex issues.

Researchers at Tohoku University found the key to taming electrochemical reactions so they don’t produce rogue byproducts instead of valuable fuels.

Researchers from The University of Osaka created a reagent for important building-block molecules with an abundant main-group element, gallium. These early findings show that an organic gallium compound can display transition-metal-like reactivity under light irradiation. Using common main-group elements like gallium offers a new way to make sustainable catalysts that do not need expensive transition metals, which are environmentally damaging and vulnerable to supply disruption.

Untangling cosmic knots, Samurai jellyfish, Controlling rogue antibodies, Search for anti-ulcer vaccine & Metal-recovering yeast. Plus next SciCom coffee talk on experiences in science journalism in the AI era and WHO guide to reporting on non communicable diseases. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

- New approach that overcomes the limitations of existing processes, improving both diffusion efficiency and magnetic performance - Combines spark plasma sintering with diffusion technology to achieve enhanced performance, with potential applications in electric vehicles, wind power generation, etc. - Published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds, a prestigious international journal in the field of materials science

Modified yeast developed to efficiently adsorb targeted elements from solutions

Groundbreaking cerium oxide-based thermal switches achieve remarkable performance, transforming heat flow control with sustainable and efficient technology.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an electrochemical process in which water or hydroxide ions are oxidized to produce oxygen gas, playing a crucial role in water splitting and energy conversion. The OER requires efficient catalysts, and now a research group has enhanced the efficiency of traditional cobalt oxide catalysts by doping them with erbium.

If we are to realize better renewable energy technologies, it is vital that scientists develop catalysts that improve the oxygen evolution reaction. A group of researchers has done just that by introducing rare-earth single atoms into manganese oxide.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have efficiently removed oxygen from high-oxygen-concentration titanium, which might help reduce the production cost of an otherwise versatile metal.

Researchers have harnessed artificial intelligence to identify multicomponent metal oxide electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. The breakthrough will make it easier for future researchers to identify the materials needed to address sustainable energy demands.

Researchers scientists have unlocked a new realm of possibilities for non-volatile phase change memory, a type of electronic memory capable of retaining data even without power. Traditionally, researchers have relied on chalcogenides, materials with reversible electrical properties during transitions between crystalline and amorphous states. But an exciting alternative has emerged in the form of layered nickelates, complex oxide materials composed of nickel ions. These nickelates, with their unique layered structure and thermally reversible switching of room-temperature electrical resistivity, offer superior performance and sustainability potential.

Finding lost-cost and efficient means of accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction could lead to the proliferation of water-splitting electrolyzes. Rather than adopting a time-consuming trial and error approach, an international research group has used theoretical predictions to identify and then successfully fabricate a new electrocatalyst.

Metamagnetic shape memory alloys (MMSMA) have negated some of the common problems associated with shape memory alloys thanks to their ability to undergo phase transformation when exposed to an external magnetic field. Yet they still lose a large amount of energy when phase transforming. Now, a research group from Tohoku University has made a significant breakthrough, developing a palladium-based MMSMA that exhibits low energy loss.

A research group at Osaka Metropolitan University has succeeded in selectively recovering trace rare earth elements in synthetic seawater and environmental water, such as hot spring water, using baker’s yeast with a phosphate group added. The phosphorylated yeast is expected to be utilized as a material for recovering useful metals and removing toxic metals, thereby contributing to the realization of a metal resource-circulating society.

Researchers from the Université de Lorraine and Tohoku University have demonstrated sub-picosecond magnetization reversal in rare-earth-free spin valves. To date, ultra-fast magnetization control without using magnetic fields was only seen in material systems using rare-earth materials. But the recent breakthrough is expected to open up new pathways for developing ultra-fast and energy efficient applications.

A collaborative research group from Tohoku University and the Toyohashi University of Technology has invented a new and efficient method to create metallic plasmas from solid metals under a strong magnetic field in a microwave resonator.

Exploring virtual human-agent relationships, A fly protein gives clue for human cancers, Rare earth elements formed in neutron star mergers 💥, One-stop process for hydrogen production. Read all in the November's Editor's Choice plus Upcoming event K4DM KNOWLEDGE MARKETPLACE – Bangkok 2022: Exchanging Ideas for a Democratic Myanmar.

When two neutron stars merge, the resultant explosion forms heavy elements—many of which make up our Universe. A new study has, for the first time, identified the specific rare-earth elements produced in a neutron star merger.

Rare earth metals, when linked, can act as a conduit for energy flow, and show promise for the development of novel materials.

An international research group demonstrated that the Kondo effect can have a significant impact on transition metal oxide compound, which has unique and desirable properties to realize wide range of quantum phenomena. The findings have provided more evidence in a decade long debate.

‘Pincer’ molecules trap reactive rare earth elements into previously unseen hydrogen-infused structures