Erbium Metal (Er Metal)
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Product Details
| Catalog No. | ER1102 |
| CAS Number | 7440-52-0 |
| Appearance | Silvery-white Metal |
| Density | 9.066 g/cm3 |
| Melting Point | 1529 °C |
Erbium Metal Description
Erbium is one of the rare earth elements in the Lanthanide series. Pure Erbium metal is malleable, soft, and fairly stable in the air. Erbium ions fluoresce pink light are used in imaging and optical applications. Erbium oxidizes slower than some other rare-earth metals and has a high electrical resistivity. It is typically found in small quantities and in combination with other rare earth elements. As a pure metal, Erbium has limited applications, however, it can be used as an alloying element with titanium.
Erbium Metal Specifications
| Item No. | Description | Purity |
| ME68-3N | Erbium Metal | 99.9% |
| ME68-4N | Erbium Metal | 99.99% |
Erbium Foil, Rod, Wire, and other forms are available upon request.
Erbium Metal Applications
- Used as a photographic filter and metallurgical additive.
- Used in industrial technology. When alloyed with vanadium, erbium lowers hardness and improves workability.
- Used in lasers for medical and dental applications.
- Used in glass coloring and as an amplifier in fiber optics.
- Erbium-doped glasses or crystals can be used as optical amplification media.
- Erbium Metal Powder is mainly used as a raw material for making high-tech metals.
- Erbium Oxide is widely used as a dopant in making optical fiber and amplifier.
Primary Applications
- Fiber Optic Telecommunications: Used as a dopant (Er 3+ ions) in Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) operating in the 1550 nm telecommunication window.
- Laser Technology: Applied in medical, dental, and cosmetic solid-state lasers (e.g., Er:YAG lasers at 2940 nm).
- Metallurgical Additive: Added to metals like vanadium or aluminum-magnesium alloys to lower hardness, increase grain refinement, improve workability, and enhance high-temperature strength.
- Nuclear Industry: Serves as a burnable neutron poison in reactor control rods due to its high thermal neutron absorption cross-section (~1500 barns).
- Cryogenics & Glass/Ceramics: Alloyed with nickel for ultra-low temperature cryocooler regenerators, and used as a pink colorant in optical glass/glazes.
Handling & Storage
- Oxidation: Fairly stable in dry air compared to lighter lanthanides, but tarnishes slowly and oxidizes rapidly at elevated temperatures.
- Powder Safety: Fine particles or dust are flammable and present a dust explosion risk; handle under an inert atmosphere (argon/nitrogen).
