Europium - Properties - Price - Applications

About Europium

Europium is a moderately hard, silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air and water. Being a typical member of the lanthanide series, europium usually assumes the oxidation state +3. Europium is one of the least abundant elements in the universe. Only about 5×10−8% of all matter in the universe is europium.

Summary

Element	Europium
Atomic number	63
Element category	Rare Earth Metal
Phase at STP	Solid
Density	5.244 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength	120 MPa
Yield Strength	60 MPa
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity	18.2 GPa
Mohs Scale	N/A
Brinell Hardness	N/A
Vickers Hardness	170 MPa
Melting Point	822 °C
Boiling Point	1529 °C
Thermal Conductivity	14 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient	35 µm/mK
Specific Heat	0.18 J/g K
Heat of Fusion	9.21 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization	143.5 kJ/mol
Electrical resistivity [nanoOhm meter]	900
Magnetic Susceptibility	+34600e-6 cm^3/mol

Applications of Europium

Europium is used in the printing of euro banknotes. It glows red under UV light, and forgeries can be detected by the lack of this red glow. It is a dopant in some types of glass in lasers and other optoelectronic devices. Since the isotopes of europium act as good neutron absorbers, they are being studied for use in nuclear control applications, such as in burnable absorbers.

Production and Price of Europium

Raw materials prices change daily. They are primarily driven by supply, demand and energy prices. In 2019, prices of pure Europium were at around 36000 $/kg.

Europium is one of the rarest of the rare earth elements on Earth. The europium metal has a silvery-white appearance. Monazite and bastnasite are the main ores containing europium. Commercially, it is recovered from monazite sand and bastnasite by extraction processes and ion exchange techniques. Monazite is an important ore for thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. It is often found in placer deposits. India, Madagascar, and South Africa have large deposits of monazite sands. The deposits in India are particularly rich in monazite.

Source: www.luciteria.com

Mechanical Properties of Europium

Strength of Europium

In mechanics of materials, the strength of a material is its ability to withstand an applied load without failure or plastic deformation. Strength of materials basically considers the relationship between the external loads applied to a material and the resulting deformation or change in material dimensions. In designing structures and machines, it is important to consider these factors, in order that the material selected will have adequate strength to resist applied loads or forces and retain its original shape. Strength of a material is its ability to withstand this applied load without failure or plastic deformation.

For tensile stress, the capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to elongate is known as ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Yield strength or yield stress is the material property defined as the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically whereas yield point is the point where nonlinear (elastic + plastic) deformation begins.

Ultimate Tensile Strength of Europium

Ultimate tensile strength of Europium is 120 MPa.

Yield Strength of Europium

Yield strength of Europium is 60 MPa.

Modulus of Elasticity of Europium

The Young’s modulus of elasticity of Europium is 60 MPa.

Hardness of Europium

In materials science, hardness is the ability to withstand surface indentation (localized plastic deformation) and scratching. Brinell hardness test is one of indentation hardness tests, that has been developed for hardness testing. In Brinell tests, a hard, spherical indenter is forced under a specific load into the surface of the metal to be tested.

Brinell hardness of Europium is approximately N/A.

The Vickers hardness test method was developed by Robert L. Smith and George E. Sandland at Vickers Ltd as an alternative to the Brinell method to measure the hardness of materials. The Vickers hardness test method can be also used as a microhardness test method, which is mostly used for small parts, thin sections, or case depth work.

Vickers hardness of Europium is approximately 170 MPa.

Scratch hardness is the measure of how resistant a sample is to permanent plastic deformation due to friction from a sharp object. The most common scale for this qualitative test is Mohs scale, which is used in mineralogy. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is based on the ability of one natural sample of mineral to scratch another mineral visibly.

Europium is has a hardness of approximately N/A.

Europium – Crystal Structure

A possible crystal structure of Europium is body-centered cubic structure.

In metals, and in many other solids, the atoms are arranged in regular arrays called crystals. A crystal lattice is a repeating pattern of mathematical points that extends throughout space. The forces of chemical bonding causes this repetition. It is this repeated pattern which control properties like strength, ductility, density, conductivity (property of conducting or transmitting heat, electricity, etc.), and shape. There are 14 general types of such patterns known as Bravais lattices.

Crystal Structure of Europium

Strength of Elements

Elasticity of Elements

Hardness of Elements

Thermal Properties of Europium

Europium – Melting Point and Boiling Point

Melting point of Europium is 822°C.

Boiling point of Europium is 1529°C.

Note that, these points are associated with the standard atmospheric pressure.

Europium – Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity of Europium is 14 W/(m·K).

The heat transfer characteristics of a solid material are measured by a property called the thermal conductivity, k (or λ), measured in W/m.K. It is a measure of a substance’s ability to transfer heat through a material by conduction. Note that Fourier’s law applies for all matter, regardless of its state (solid, liquid, or gas), therefore, it is also defined for liquids and gases.

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Europium

Linear thermal expansion coefficient of Europium is 35 µm/(m·K)

Thermal expansion is generally the tendency of matter to change its dimensions in response to a change in temperature. It is usually expressed as a fractional change in length or volume per unit temperature change.

Europium – Specific Heat, Latent Heat of Fusion, Latent Heat of Vaporization

Specific heat of Europium is 0.18 J/g K.

Heat capacity is an extensive property of matter, meaning it is proportional to the size of the system. Heat capacity C has the unit of energy per degree or energy per kelvin. When expressing the same phenomenon as an intensive property, the heat capacity is divided by the amount of substance, mass, or volume, thus the quantity is independent of the size or extent of the sample.

Latent Heat of Fusion of Europium is 9.21 kJ/mol.

Latent Heat of Vaporization of Europium is 143.5 kJ/mol.

Latent heat is the amount of heat added to or removed from a substance to produce a change in phase. This energy breaks down the intermolecular attractive forces, and also must provide the energy necessary to expand the gas (the pΔV work). When latent heat is added, no temperature change occurs. The enthalpy of vaporization is a function of the pressure at which that transformation takes place.

Melting Point of Elements

Thermal Conductivity of Elements

Thermal Expansion of Elements

Heat Capacity of Elements

Heat of Fusion of Elements

Heat of Vaporization of Elements

Europium – Electrical Resistivity – Magnetic Susceptibility

Electrical property refers to the response of a material to an applied electric field. One of the principal characteristics of materials is their ability (or lack of ability) to conduct electrical current. Indeed, materials are classified by this property, that is, they are divided into conductors, semiconductors, and nonconductors.

Electrical Resistivity of Europium

Electrical resistivity of Europium is 900 nΩ⋅m.

Electrical conductivity and its converse, electrical resistivity, is a fundamental property of a material that quantifies how Europium conducts the flow of electric current. Electrical conductivity or specific conductance is the reciprocal of electrical resistivity.

Magnetic Susceptibility of Europium

Magnetic susceptibility of Europium is +34600e-6 cm^3/mol.

In electromagnetism, magnetic susceptibility is the measure of the magnetization of a substance. Magnetic susceptibility is a dimensionless proportionality factor that indicates the degree of magnetization of Europium in response to an applied magnetic field.