Description

The themes 'Earth and Sustainability' have played a prominent role in social debate for many years. Scientists make an important contribution to formulating, analysing and solving issues within these themes.

Less well known are the rare earths or lanthanides. Until recently, they lived up to their name, derived from Greek, and formed a row of unknown elements at the bottom of the periodic table. Recently, this has changed. Rare earths are regularly in the news these days because of their increasing importance and export restrictions by China. This lecture, after an introduction on their alleged rarity and properties, will explain how the unique magnetic and optical of rare earths contribute to a more sustainable earth.
Sustainable applications include strong magnets in wind turbines and hybrid cars, storage of electrical energy in batteries and efficient catalysts. The optical properties of rare earths are crucial for the efficient generation of light in energy-efficient light sources (including white LED lamps). To illustrate how the importance may increase further in the future, the manipulation of light by cutting and pasting photons through rare earths is addressed. Among other things, this offers opportunities to increase the efficiency of solar cells

ir. Gerard van Vucht, +31 (0)40 - 2528453 or via the e-mail address below

Speaker(s)

Prof. Dr. Andries Meijerink, Debye Institute, Utrecht University

Location

Hall centre Prinsenhof Best,

Hoofdstraat 43, 5683 AC Best

Organiser

Region South

Name and contact details for information

g.vucht@gmail.com