What is Dysprosium? And Why is it a Primary REE?

Rare Earth Deposits & Mining / Rare Earth Exploration, Mining, Processing, & Uses

Date posted: 03/17/16

One of 17 chemical elements classified as rare earths, dysprosium was first discovered by French chemist Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886 as an impurity in erbia, the oxide of erbium. However, pure samples of dysprosium were not produced until the 1950s. Not all rare earth elements are actually rare, but this metal lives up to the label. Indeed, the name dysprosium is derived from the Greek work ...dysprositos, which translates to ...hard to get at. Like the other lanthanides, dysprosium is found in monazite and bastnaesite deposits, but smaller quantities can also be found in minerals like xenotime and fergusonite. Deposits rich in heavy rare earths like dysprosium are less common than deposits rich in light rare earths. As a result, dysprosium and other heavy rare metals are often more expensive than light rare earths such as cerium and lanthanum. As a pure metal, it reacts to to water and air, making it difficult to handle. However, that has changed in recent years, as the metal is used extensively in neodymium-based magnets. The addition of dysprosium helps neodymium-based magnets function at higher temperatures, under which conditions they would likely demagnetize. The metal is also used in dysprosium iodide in halide discharge lamps, and a dysprosium oxide-nickel cermet (a composite material composed of ceramic (cer) and metallic (met) materials) is utilized in nuclear reactor control rods. Dysprosium is amenable to nuclear uses because it easily absorbs neutrons and does not swell or contract as a result of prolonged neutron absorption. Rare earth magnets are stronger in terms of weight and volume than any other type of magnet. Specifically, magnets made from neodymium, boron and iron are the strongest available, and are increasingly being used in modern technologies, including motors and generators in wind turbines and electric vehicles. Dysprosium, one of the most expensive heavy rare-earth elements, is used in neodymium sintered magnets. Read on ..