The DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and Critical Materials Institute (CMI), an Energy Innovation Hub, are working to address the rare-earth balance problem by finding new ways to use cerium.

CMI paired cerium with aluminum to create aluminum cerium (Al-Ce) alloys with tailored properties and unlocked a range of new applications for the rare-earth element. The hope is that the DOE’s efforts will shore up market demand for an abundant REE and create more value from domestic rare-earth mining operations. The rare-earth balance problem exists because some REEs are abundant in mineral deposits and not widely used while others are widely used but much less abundant.

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