ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | SEPTEMBER 2024 9 atoms within a crystal. This is significant because different local atomic arrangements influence the electronic, magnetic, mechanical, optical, and other properties of materials, which have a bearing on the safety and functionality of a range of products. Until now, SRO has been challenging for researchers to measure and quantify because atomic arrangements occur at a scale so small that they are difficult to see with conventional microscopy techniques. The new method, using APT, overcomes these challenges, paving the way for advances in materials science that could have far-reaching implications in a range of industries. Critically, the study enhances the capabilities of researchers to computationally simulate, model, and ultimately predict materials behavior with SRO providing the detailed atomicscale blueprint. www.sydney.edu.au. FORMING RARE EARTH ELEMENTS Scientists have discovered how the rare mineral fluocerite quickly forms and transforms into bastnaesite, a crucial mineral for the extraction of rare earth elements (REEs). Researchers from Trinity College Dublin revealed this novel route to the formation of bastnaesite, advancing the progress toward making the extraction of these REEs more efficient. The research team revealed a new crystallization path that produces extremely tiny, nanometricsized minerals. Some of these elusive minerals are incredibly small, just a few billionths of a meter in size, making them very difficult to observe in natural samples. Their research found that fluocerite can act as a seed to promote the rapid formation of bastnaesite. REEs are vital for a wide range of technologies, from smartphones to renewable energy solutions. They are also crucial for researchers who have struggled to understand the intricate factors and pathways involved in the formation of these tiny, nanometric minerals. The researchers say their discovery was made by following a completely different approach—they built synthetic bastnaesite rocks in the laboratory to mimic the same processes occurring in nature—and studied them with powerful spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. According to the researchers, their insights are crucial for developing better industrial methods for extracting rare earth elements. www.tcd.ie. Images of fluocerite and bastnasite. Courtesy of Rodriguez-Blanco/Trinity College Dublin.
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