ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 24 Phosphorus is the 11th most abundant element on earth. It functions as a critical component of genetic material of DNA, RNA, energy metabolism in living cell as adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and cell membrane as phospholipids. In addition, phosphorus is the most abundant mineral in the human body—second only to calcium—present mainly in bones and teeth as hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) crystals[1–4]. In nature, phosphorus occurs commonly as phosphate in inorganic minerals and is a constituent in organic molecules. Phosphate is the chemical form in which phosphorus is mined and processed. Ninety percent of the world’s phosphate production is used for agriculture application as fertilizer, 5% is used for animal feed, and 5% for a wide range of applications in daily life, from food additives to fire retardants, and from industrial use to household products. Detergent and cleansers, toothpaste, and corrosion inhibitors are some examples of applications of this element[1,3,5]. Increasingly, phosphate-based products are used in diverse applications in- cluding: medical and dentistry materials, electrical vehicle batteries, rare earth element (REE) source, phosphate pigment, and high-entropy catalysts. However, phosphate rock is a finite, non-renewable natural resource, mainly distributed in North Africa (Morocco and Western Sahara), East Asia, and North America. According to current production and consumption rates, the world will deplete the economic phosphorus reserve in the next 100 years. The dramatic increase of the world’s population may speed up the depletion[2,3,5]. In addition, the use of phosphate by human beings seriously impacts the environment, which leads to eutrophication of water bodies. To solve those issues, many efforts have been made by researchers to remove the nutrient from wastewater and recover the phosphate for reuse. All these topics require a basic understanding of natural phosphate minerals. This article will summarize the development of applications of phosphate-based materials and characterize various selected phosphate minerals other than apatite. PHOSPHATE-BASED MATERIALS IN NON-AGRICULTURE APPLICATIONS Phosphorus plays an important role in nature and daily life. Recent research shows that phosphate-based materials have great potential in various applications like energy storage and ON THE DIVERSITY OF PHOSPHATE MINERALS FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS An exploration of five non-apatite phosphate minerals using 3D optical profilometry reveals their suitability for new uses in energy storage and conversion as well as medical applications. Jin Zhang, Shri Patel, and Surojit Gupta* Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of North Dakota *Member of ASM International conversion, namely cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors. In recent years, LiFePO4 has been widely used as a cathode material in LIBs for electric vehicles due to its good chemical stability, high surface areas, adjustable particle sizes, and compositions. Meanwhile, with demand for clean energy and portable electronics, supercapacitors have attracted attention due to their high-power density, excellent cycling stability, and fast charge/discharge rates. The phosphorus material can be used as a supporting material due to its outstanding properties such as high specific surface area, fast anisotropic electronic and ion transport, and intrinsic hydro- philicity[6–8]. Phosphate-based materials are also used in medical applications, namely, bone replacement and regeneration of biomaterials, scaffold for tissue engineering, and biomaterials for dentistry as cement, composition, and coatings. Calcium phosphate materials (hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, tricalcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2) are similar to bone in composition and have excellent bioactive and osteoconductive properties that make them ideal in medical and dental applications[9–11]. The great demand from high-tech
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