Enhancement of Near-Infrared-to-Visible Upconversion Luminescence Using Engineered Plasmonic Gold Surfaces

Enhancement of Near-Infrared-to-Visible Upconversion Luminescence Using Engineered Plasmonic Gold Surfaces:

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/jp206053f

Key Roles of Impurities in the Stability of Internally Doped Cu:ZnSe Nanocrystals in Aqueous Solution

Key Roles of Impurities in the Stability of Internally Doped Cu:ZnSe Nanocrystals in Aqueous Solution:

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/jp206137f

Lamellar Micelles as Templates for the Preparation of Silica Nanodisks

Lamellar Micelles as Templates for the Preparation of Silica Nanodisks:

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/jp205874k

Plasmonic Green Nanolaser Based on a Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Structure

Plasmonic Green Nanolaser Based on a Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Structure:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl2022477

Plasmon-Driven Selective Deposition of Au Bipyramidal Nanoparticles

Plasmon-Driven Selective Deposition of Au Bipyramidal Nanoparticles:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl201020g

Enormous rare earths crisis brewing: China shutting down 3 major dysprosium mines

Enormous rare earths crisis brewing: China shutting down 3 major dysprosium mines:

SEM image of Dysprosium hydroxyfluoride fibers. Credit: PPNL.

A few days ago, Xinhua News agency reported that three rare earth mining districts near Ganzhou city have been order to halt production by year-end. In fact, production at one of the mines has been halted already, according to Li Guoqing, director of the city’s mining management bureau.

This is a huge problem, because, as Japan’s Nikkei news service reports, Ganzhou is the #1 producer of dysprosium. Dysprosium plays a critical role in many clean energy technologies and is one of the elements the DOE has highlighted as being of critical concern in regard to future supply disruptions and affects on critical technologies. The DOE is also concerned because dysprosium has no suitable replacement.

Ganzhou is also the producer of other heavy rare earths.

Nikkei also reports that it believes all three mines have exceeded their annual quotas, and production will likely be suspended at least until the end of the year.

Continuing with the Xinhua story, it says:

It is unknown when production will resume, as they have to wait for directives from the provincial government, Li said. The notice also told the counties to set production quotas to rare earth mines to prevent over-exploitation. …To control environmental damage and protect resources, China has announced various policies, such as suspending the issuance of new licenses for rare earth prospecting and mining, imposing production caps and export quotas, and implementing tougher environmental standards.

It’s not yet clear to me how the US and its business community will react, but the Nikkei story reveals some of the responses in Japan:

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and some other major Japanese producers of electrical machinery have started raising air conditioner prices because of surging prices for dysprosium.

“There are efforts to kick off (dysprosium) production in Russia and Vietnam, but it will likely take at least five years,” said Nobuhiko Kawamura, general manager of Showa Denko KK’s rare-earths division. The firm, which produces dysprosium-based alloys in Jiangxi Province and elsewhere, sees potential for global dysprosium supply shortages in two to three years should China continue with its strict regulation of rare-earth production.

Even so, magnet manufacturers and other firms with dysprosium dealings mostly reacted to Monday’s news with calm. “Because we thought it might happen, the news comes as no surprise to us,” said a official at Hitachi Metals Ltd., the leading maker of rare-earth magnets.

But a major trading house is alarmed because it will not likely be able to find alternative sources of dysprosium and other rare-earth metals quickly.

Stay tuned.

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Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a New Molecular Precursor for BaHfO3: A Simple Approach to Eu-Based Phosphors

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a New Molecular Precursor for BaHfO3: A Simple Approach to Eu-Based Phosphors:

Chemistry of Materials

DOI: 10.1021/cm201553j

Arrays of ZnO/ZnxCd1–xSe Nanocables: Band Gap Engineering and Photovoltaic Applications

Arrays of ZnO/ZnxCd1–xSe Nanocables: Band Gap Engineering and Photovoltaic Applications:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl201934k

Gold Nanoparticles: A Revival in Precious Metal Administration to Patients

Gold Nanoparticles: A Revival in Precious Metal Administration to Patients:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl202559p

Nonlinear Optical Processes in Optically Trapped InP Nanowires

Nonlinear Optical Processes in Optically Trapped InP Nanowires:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl2020262

Surface Plasmon Resonances in Strongly Coupled Gold Nanosphere Chains from Monomer to Hexamer

Surface Plasmon Resonances in Strongly Coupled Gold Nanosphere Chains from Monomer to Hexamer:

Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/nl202080a

Cobalt Redox Mediators for Ruthenium-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: A Combined Impedance Spectroscopy and Near-IR Transmittance Study

Cobalt Redox Mediators for Ruthenium-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: A Combined Impedance Spectroscopy and Near-IR Transmittance Study:

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/jp204519s

Highly Sensitive Plasmonic Silver Nanorods

Highly Sensitive Plasmonic Silver Nanorods:

ACS Nano

DOI: 10.1021/nn200877b

Silica-Coated Gold Nanostars for Combined Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection and Singlet-Oxygen Generation: A Potential Nanoplatform for Theranostics

Silica-Coated Gold Nanostars for Combined Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection and Singlet-Oxygen Generation: A Potential Nanoplatform for Theranostics:

Langmuir

DOI: 10.1021/la202602q