Current trends in the use of rare earth metals and their compounds in metallurgy and production of optical materials

It is difficult to name such an area of modern science and technology where rare earth metals (REM) would not be used. Generalization of all existing information on this issue due to its enormous volume and variety is hardly possible and advisable. Therefore, to write literary reviews in this area, one or two relevant segments in a global issue are usually selected and considered in detail. In this review, metallurgy and the production of optical materials are selected as such segments. In metallurgy, first of all, it should be noted the use of rare earth metals in the composition of multicomponent heat-resistant alloys for aviation and space technology, as deoxidizers, for the formation of a perfect structure when creating composite materials and coatings. The use of REM is growing both in ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy. In ferrous metallurgy, increasing the resistance of austenitic steel to oxidation by adding yttrium and cerium, creating composite coatings with additives of yttrium oxide to achieve special properties, etc. In nonferrous metallurgy, composites based on aluminum alloys with additives of cerium oxide; composites based on tin bronze doped with cerium oxides; titanium alloys doped with yttrium, etc. Rare earth metals are an integral part of research on the creation of lasers, solar cells, optoelectronic amplifiers, etc. for use in optoelectronics and other fields of glass materials and ceramics production. These areas of application of rare-earth metals include aluminosilicate glasses, borate glasses, and various types of optical ceramics. A group of new alloyed materials for various laser devices and installations has been created. Such materials include fluortellurite glasses doped with erbium, multicomponent fluoride glasses doped with europium and holmium, tungsten sodium phosphate glasses doped with trivalent REM ions, germanate glass doped with erbium and ytterbium, and others. Research in this area is continuously expanding. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 20-13-00180).