Dysprosium

China is blocking -- or at least slow-walking -- the export of rare earth minerals used in military equipment, cars and other materials, adding a serious wrinkle to the emerging trade war between the U.S. and China.

China has tightened control over the global rare earth supply by introducing new export restrictions that could disrupt industries dependent on these materials. The latest measures, announced...

Critical minerals are in demand around the world for military, technological and other uses. A geoscientist shares what's known about Ukraine's reserves, which could help the country recover from war

Competing with China's low-cost production and established supply chain remains a significant hurdle.

Scientists harness a compound normally used in cancer treatment to reclaim rare-earth elements from electronic waste.

Experimental motors use exotic materials and clever configurations

New batteries and mining techniques shine at the annual energy showcase

Proximity is key for many quantum phenomena, as interactions between atoms are stronger when the particles are close. In many quantum simulators, scientists arrange atoms as close together as possible to explore exotic states of matter and build new quantum materials.

MIT physicists developed a technique to arrange atoms in much closer proximity than previously possible, down to 50 nanometers. The group plans to use the method to manipulate atoms into configurations that could generate the first purely magnetic quantum gate — a key building block for a new type of quantum computer.

And that's a good thing. They're critical for renewable energy, and a new study says recovering them from old cellphones and other waste could help meet the demand.

Heavy elements like gold and silver are believed to be created when neutron stars collide, but new research suggests these collisions may also spur nuclear...

Wisconsin-based Niron Magnetics and General Motors (GM) have formed a joint venture to develop an electric motor magnet without rare earth elements, mostly imported from China.

The company that wants to mine for critical minerals in southeast Nebraska has signed a deal with Stellantis, giving the automaker access to the rare earth elements used to produce high-powered magnets needed for its electric vehicles

Bill McKibben assesses the validity of the arguments that both degrowthists and those who are pro-green-tech make for how we should address climate change.

Quasicrystals (QCs) have peculiar structures with interesting atomic arrangements. Although they are similar to crystals from the exterior, at the atomic scale, they lack periodicity despite being ordered. Such structural arrangements confer quasicrystals with symmetries and other special properties that are missing in crystals. In particular, icosahedral QCs (i QCs), which have a special geometric structure, show…

Even China, the dominant global force in rare earth minerals, is worried about securing access to new raw materials

How many tons of steel, copper, silver, rare earth metals, and other materials are needed to build power generation facilities over the next 30 years? This study estimated future global material needs for electricity-producing infrastructure across a wide range of scenarios. While wind and solar energy require materials in high quantities, we find these technologies will not be limited by the availability of key…

Of all low carbon sources, nuclear has the lowest spatial and material requirements. Renewable energy has much lower power densities than other non-renewable sources. Solar and wind power also have the highest consumption of critical metals.

Your iPhone is filled with valuable metals and elements that could run out in the next century -- and that could jeopardize global climate goals.

The toxic rare earth mining industry at the heart of the global green energy transition