Synthesis of Rare-Earth Intermetallics by Induction Melting

含有稀土元素的材料在许多技术应用中都有发现，例如计算机中的含钕磁体，混合汽车中的含镧电池，以及平板显示器中的含铕磷光体。 但危机就在眼前，因为这些元素的供应绝大多数由中国主导（97%）。 为了减少这种脆弱性，加拿大有机会开发其丰富的稀土矿产资源，找到新的应用，使其开采变得更加经济可行。 我们希望发现这些稀土元素的金属间化合物，目标是新的超导体和磁性材料。 为了确定这些化合物的结构和性质，重要的是获得高质量的晶体和纯样品，这在通过常规技术制备时并不总是容易的。 为了克服这些困难，我们提出使用感应加热，其工作原理与现代烹饪用感应炉相同：物体变热，不是通过热传递，而是通过在其中感应的交流电。由于这种加热是高度均匀的，无接触的，可控的，制备的金属间化合物样品的质量得到了很大的提高。 感应炉是研究金属间化合物的任何固态化学实验室中必不可少的设备。 经过培训使用该熔炉的学生将接受适当的培训，这对于从事需要稀土元素化学和冶金专业知识的职业是有价值的。

Materials containing rare-earth elements are found in many technological applications, such as neodymium-containing magnets in computers, lanthanum-containing batteries in hybrid cars, and europium-containing phosphors in flat panel displays. But there is a crisis at hand, because the supply of these elements is dominated overwhelmingly by China (97%). To reduce this vulnerability, Canada has an opportunity to develop its substantial rare-earth mineral resources by finding new applications so that their extraction becomes more economically viable. We wish to discover intermetallic compounds of these rare-earth elements, targeting new superconductors and magnetic materials. To determine the structures and properties of these compounds, it is important to obtain high-quality crystals and pure samples, which is not always easy when prepared by conventional techniques. To overcome these difficulties, we propose the use of induction heating, which operates through the same principle used in modern induction stoves for cooking: an object gets hot, not through heat transfer, but through an alternating current induced in it. Because this heating is highly uniform, contactless, and controllable, the quality of the intermetallic samples prepared is much improved. An induction furnace is an essential piece of equipment in any solid-state chemistry lab researching intermetallic compounds. Students trained to use this furnace will then receive the proper training that will be valuable for pursuing careers requiring expertise in the chemistry and metallurgy of rare-earth elements.