| During the last 30 years there has been a surge in the applications of rare earth elements and their alloys in several technology devices such as computer memory, DVDs, rechargeable batteries, autocatalytic converters, super magnets, mobile phones, LED lighting, superconductors, glass additives, fluorescent materials, phosphate binding agents, solar panels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents. The most abundant rare-earth element is cerium, which is actually the 25th most abundant element in Earth's crust, having 68 parts per million (about as common as copper). |
