Erbium metal

Erbium metal foil is a thin sheet material made of erbium metal with metallic luster, soft texture, active chemical properties and easy to oxidise, good ductility and thin thickness, which has many applications in the fields of optics, electronics and materials.

Characteristics

Appearance: Erbium metal foil is usually presented as a solid sheet, with metallic luster, the appearance of the colour may vary depending on the processing technology and surface condition, generally silver grey.

Density: The relatively high density of 9066 kg/m³ gives Erbium foils an advantage in applications where material density is important.

Melting and boiling point: melting point of 1497°C and boiling point of 2868°C. With its high melting and boiling points, it is stable at higher temperatures but requires higher temperature conditions for processing.

Ductility: Erbium metal foil has a certain degree of ductility, can be processed into different shapes and sizes to meet a variety of special applications.

Conductivity: Erbium metal foil has good electrical conductivity with a relatively low resistivity of 107.0 microhm-cm (at 25°C), which gives it the potential to be used in electronic and electrical applications where electrical conductivity is required.

Thermal conductivity: Erbium metal foil is relatively weak in thermal conductivity, with a thermal conductivity of 0.145 W/cm/K (at 298.2K), which may be advantageous in some applications that require thermal insulation or have special requirements for heat transfer.

Hardness: Erbium metal foil has a Vickers hardness of 589MPa, which is relatively soft, and care should be taken to avoid scratches and collisions during processing and use.

Livability: chemically more active, easily oxidised in air, the surface will form a layer of oxide film. Therefore, in the storage and use process need to take special protective measures, such as sealed preservation, operating in an inert gas environment.

Solubility: insoluble in water.

Applications:

Laser materials: it can be used to manufacture laser materials, for example, in some specific lasers, Erbium metal foils can be used as a source of doping elements for the preparation of laser materials with specific wavelengths and properties. Erbium-doped laser materials have important applications in the medical field (e.g., laser therapy in dentistry and aesthetics) and in scientific research for laser spectroscopy.

Optical amplifiers: Used in the preparation of key components in erbium-doped fibre amplifiers. Erbium-doped fibre amplifiers can enhance optical signals and play an important role in signal amplification in fibre-optic communication systems, enabling optical signals to maintain their strength during long-distance transmission, which is of key significance for modern long-distance, high-capacity and high-speed fibre-optic communications.

Alloy addition: added as an alloying component to other metals can improve the properties of alloys. For example, the addition of erbium can enhance the ductility of alloys, improve the strength and corrosion resistance of alloys, etc. It can be used to manufacture high-performance alloy materials required in aerospace, machinery manufacturing and other fields.

Ceramics and glass materials: Erbium oxides can be added to ceramics and glass materials to give them specific colours, such as pink, which can be used to make pottery glazes, stained glass and other decorative materials.

Nuclear industry: In nuclear reactors, erbium metal foils can be used as reactor control materials to control the rate and intensity of nuclear reactions.

Electronic field: Due to its good conductivity, it can be used in the manufacture of electronic components, such as electrode materials and conductive films. In some special electronic devices, erbium metal foils can bring their unique physical and chemical properties into play to improve the performance and stability of the devices.