Binary Rare Earth Oxides is the first book in the field of rare earth oxides that provides coverage from the basic science through to recent advances. This book introduces the unique characteristics of the binary rare earth oxides with their chemistry, physics and applications. It provides a comprehensive review of all the characteristics of rare earth oxides, essential for scientists and engineers involved with rare earths, oxides, inorganic materials, ceramics, and structures. The binary rare earth oxides bring us a variety of interesting characteristics. Understanding their fundamental mechanisms builds a bridge between solid-state chemistry and materials science. The book begins with a brief introduction to binary rare earth oxides, their physical and chemical stabilities, polymorphism, crystal structures and phase transformation and the association with current applications. The book goes on to present the band structure of the oxides using several quantum chemical calculations, which belong to a newly developed area in the binary rare earth oxides. Central to this chapter are the characterizations of electrical, magnetic and optical properties, as well as details of single crystal growth and particle preparation methods that have progressed in recent years. Later chapters concentrate on thermo-chemical properties and trace determination techniques. The final chapter contains a variety of useful applications in various fields such as phosphors, glass abrasives, automotive catalysts, fuel cells, solid electrolytes, sunscreens, iron steels, and biological materials. This book is an invaluable resource for materials scientists and solid-state physicists and chemists with an interest in rare earth oxides, as well as advanced students and graduates who require an approach to familiarize them with this field. This book provides guidance through a comprehensive review of all the characteristics of binary rare earth oxides.

Even at the beginning of the new millenium the rare earths still remain, to a certain extent, a mystery. The chapters in this volume will help to unravel some of these. In the filling of the 4f electronic orbitals the lanthanides defy the elementary aufbau principle that underlies the periodic sequence of the elements, and the authors of the first chapter introduce the readers to the basic physics of the orbital collapse leading to that failure. Furthermore an explanation is offered in terms of double-well potentials. The phenomenon is illustrated using the valence transitions observed in some of the rare earth atoms, including Sm group metals and the higher oxides of cerium, praseodymium and terbium. In the second chapter the synthesis and structure of the many types of rare earth halides are described. They have been described as simple, complex, binary, ternary and multinuclear complex, and other categories needed to deal with the most studied of the rare earth compounds. The structure types are skillfully illustrated to show the elementary architecture of each type. In chapter three the authors discuss the science and applications of rare earth super ionic conductors as solid electrolytes. Conduction by oxygen and fluorine anions as well as hydrogen and other cations associated with these electrolytes is emphasized. They deal with extrinsic and intrinsic types together with their associated structures and structural types including structural defects. The chapter concludes with an outline of the many applications of solid electrolytes. Chapter four introduces the reader to the principles that underlie thermoluminescence and its application to dosimetry and provides detailed information on the R-activated phosphors that support dosimetry. This is a selective review of detailed literature based on the areas making most progress. The final chapter elaborates on the data gained by the studies and interpretation around the analytical separation of the individual rare earth elements utilizing chromatographic techniques. The authors describe the fundamental chemistry that underpins contemporary analytical separation techniques for lanthanide separation and analysis. This is done after a description of the rich assortment of separation methods in use has been introduced.

Refractory Materials: A Series of Monographs Volume 5 is a collection of works from different scientists who have made important discoveries in fields related to chemistry. The text covers topics such as thoria and yttria, and the refractory oxides of the lanthanide and actinide elements; single-crystal titanates and zirconates; some binary systems of zirconium dioxide; and zircon and zirconates. Also covered are topics such as halfnium oxide – its occurrence, purification, and physical and thermodynamic properties; and the structure and physical properties of Nb2O5 and Ta2O5. The book is recommended for chemists and materials scientists who would like to know more about the studies of other experts in the field and their applications.

This book contains twelve chapters written by both senior scientists with international fame and young researchers who have been working at the frontiers of related fields for some years. It covers a variety of the most active research areas in rare earths research in recent years. The first five chapters concern a few hot topics on lanthanum photonics and luminesce. The following two chapters probe the physics behind the phenomena, which some theoreticians may be interested in. The first one makes thorough studies on an exotic phenomena, valency fluctuation occurring in metallic perovskite compounds due to the joint influences by both Ce and Eu elements inside. The latter demonstrates, with an example, how a novel ab initio method can be employed to calculate crystal parameters more accurately and efficiently. The final five chapters focus on the researches aimed at finding new applications of rare earths in industry and high technology based on their magnetic, chemical and electrochemical properties, such as, the magnetocaloric effects and performance in magnetic refrigeration of a class of amorphous materials containing heavy rare earth elements; the mechanism and applicability for rare earths to replace chromates as corrosion inhibitors; studies employing a defect cluster model to understand local ordered defect structure formation in doped ceria, and the possibility of using it to optimise the rare earth dopant in ceria for the purpose of improving the ionic conductivity of fluorite oxides； and fabrication and characterisation of new LaMgNi electrode alloys by doping them with lanthanides to improve the electrochemical cycle stability and discharge capacity. The audience for this book includes theoretical and applied physicists, specialists in instrumentation (electronics), engineers (electronic, chemical engineering, and biotechnology), chemists and materials scientists in industry and academia.