Holmium is a rare earth element of the lanthanide series with an atomic number of 67 and a molar mass of 164.93 g/mol. Let us explore the industrial uses of holmium in detail.
The industrial applications of holmium are listed below-
- Magnet production industry
- Glass industry
- Optical industry
- Nuclear research
- Spectrometer calibration
- Thin film coating
- Semiconductors industry
- Electronics
- Memory storage
Magnet Production Industry
Holmium possesses the highest magnetic strength of any element and therefore, it is widely used in the magnet production industry.
- Holmium creates the strongest artificial magnetic field.
- Holmium is used to manufacture permanent magnets.
- Holmium acts as a flux concentrator to many high magnetic fields.
- Holmium is used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to get a better resolution on the resulting pictures.
- Holmium alloys are applied to make strong magnetic pole shoes.
Glass Industry
- Holmium is used as colorants for cubic zirconia and glass (giving natural yellow and red coloration).
- Holmium produces different kinds of glasses.
- Holmium plays an important role to elaborate the catalytic agents for glass polishing.
Optical Industry
- Holmium-doped yttrium iron garnet and yttrium lithium fluoride are used in solid-state lasers.
- Holmium is used in microwave equipment.
- Holmium laser is used in dental, fiber optical.
- Holmium lasers reduce the abnormal range of pressure in human eyes.
Nuclear Research
- Holmium can absorb nuclear fission-bred neutrons, therefore, is used to regulate nuclear reactors.
- Holmium makes rods of nuclear control reactors due to its good absorption capacity.
Spectrometer Calibration
- Holmium is used in filters for calibrating the wavelength settings of UV spectrophotometers.
- Holmium calibrates gamma-ray spectrometers because holmium can produce a wide spectrum of such rays.
Thin-Film Coating
Holmium sputtering targets and Holmium evaporation materials are used in deposition like semiconductors deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) along with physical vapor deposition (PVD).
Semiconductor Industry
Holmium is often used as a dopant in different semiconductors and these types of semiconductors are frequently used in solid-state lasers and optical isolators.
Electronics
- Holmium is used to manufacture the screens of televisions along with other lanthanide elements.
- Holmium is applied in the manufacturing of lamps and radiofluorescent-colored lights.
Memory Storage
Holmium can be used for storing memories.
Conclusion
Holmium is a soft, silvery, and malleable metal. It is very tough to obtain holmium in pure form because its reactivity is too high and it forms a yellowish oxide coating when exposed to air. Like many lanthanide elements, it is also found in the minerals monazite and gadolinite.
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