Rare earth laser-assisted metal production and separation
A compound or complex containing a rare earth element is impinged with a pulsed laser that is so controlled as to photochemically reduce and obtain a rare earth metal (REM). A mixture of REM salts can be impinged using laser light tuned to selectively reduce a particular rare earth-containing salt of the mixture to separate out as its respective rare earth metal.
1 . A method of producing a rare earth metal, comprising impinging a precursor rare earth element-containing compound material in a sub-atmospheric processing chamber with a pulsed laser light controlled in a manner to reduce at least part of the rare earth element-containing compound material in the chamber to yield a rare earth metal.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the precursor rare earth element-containing material comprises a rare earth compound or rare earth complex.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the rare earth metal comprises at least one of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and/or Lu.
4 . The method of claim 2 wherein the precursor rare earth element-containing compound material comprises at least one of an oxide, hydroxide, oxalate, halide or other salts of the rare earth element.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the rare earth element-containing compound material is at ambient temperature when impinged with the pulsed laser light.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the rare earth element-containing compound material resides as a pressed powder body in the processing chamber having sub-atmospheric pressure during impingement with the pulsed laser light.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the pulsed laser light is scanned across the rare earth element-containing material.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the pulsed laser light is UV to IR light.
9 . A method of producing a rare earth metal, comprising impinging a mixture of different constituent rare earth element-containing materials in a sub-atmospheric processing chamber with a pulsed laser light whose wavelength is tuned in a manner to selectively reduce at least one of the constituent rare earth element-containing materials of the mixture to yield a selected rare earth metal.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the selected rare earth metal comprises at least one of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and/or Lu.
11 . The method of claim 9 wherein Ce metal is selectively produced.
12 . The method of claim 9 wherein Pr metal is selectively produced.
13 . The method of claim 9 wherein Nd metal is selectively produced.
14 . The method of claim 9 wherein a metal alloy comprising Pr and Nd is selectively produced.
15 . The method of claim 9 wherein La metal is selectively produced.
16 . The method of claim 9 wherein the rare earth element-containing materials of the mixture comprise a rare earth oxide, rare earth hydroxide, rare earth oxalate, rare earth halide and/or other rare earth salts.
17 . The method of claim 9 wherein the mixture of the rare earth element-containing materials resides as a pressed powder body in the processing chamber having the sub-atmospheric pressure during impingement with the pulsed laser light.
18 . The method of claim 9 wherein the pulsed laser light is scanned across the mixture of rare earth element-containing materials.
19 . The method of claim 9 wherein the pulsed laser light is UV to IR light.