Technology metals

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Technology metals are all metals that are particularly important for high-tech applications due to their chemical and / or physical properties. These include the special metals indium , gallium , germanium , silicon , platinum group metals , gold and silver as well as the rare earth metals scandium , yttrium , lanthanum , cerium , praseodymium , neodymium , promethium , samarium , europium and gadolinium, Terbium , dysprosium , holmium , erbium , thulium , ytterbium and lutetium .

Areas of application

Technology metals are mainly used in growth technologies and have grown in importance in recent years. They can be found, for example, in LCD televisions, in smartphones and notebooks, in powerful batteries for electric and hybrid cars, in fuel cells, semiconductors and wind turbines.

Development and current importance

Simplified and robust grouping of the elements in the “metals network future” paradigm

A substitution of technology metals by other metals is not yet possible or only possible with reduced product efficiency. Due to the steadily growing demand, the production of some technology metals has risen sharply in recent years. Accordingly, the term technology metals is used more and more frequently.

Technology metals are assigned a key role today. Newer classifications subdivide the metals in the periodic table according to their area of ​​application into base metals , technology metals and accompanying metals . The technology metals represent the largest group (see figure).

In the past, the use of metals marked entire epochs, for example the Bronze Age, which was marked by the invention of the copper-tin alloy, and the Iron Age. See also the section Use in the main article Metals . Nowadays, technology metals play a central role, as these metals are used as elementary components in electromobility, environmental and energy technology and IT high-tech applications in many areas of civilization.

Particular attention is paid to sustainability and recycling, as the metal stocks are limited, often have to be extracted under difficult conditions and can result in environmental problems. In a functioning circular economy , technology metals can be obtained from intermediate or by-products of the base metal industry. The metal wheel illustrates how technology metals and base metals are interrelated in nature and in recycling , and how intervening in these interrelationships would affect the entire metal production.

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  • M. Stelter: Market development of technology metals . In: World of Metallurgy - ERZMETALL . tape 67 , no. 1 , 2014, ISSN  1613-2394 , p. 22-27 ( gdmb.de ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ M. Simon: Editorial . In: World of Metallurgy - ERZMETALL . tape 72 , no. 4 , 2019, ISSN  1613-2394 , p. 185-186 ( gdmb.de ).
  2. ↑ B. Blanpain, MA Reuter, A. Malfliet: Lead Metallurgy is Fundamental to the Circular Economy Policy Brief SOCRATES EU MSCA-ETN. 2019 ( online )
  3. ↑ Anne Kunze: Raw materials: The lost treasure . In: The time . May 10, 2012, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed October 14, 2019]).
  4. ↑ Dirk Asendorpf, Andreas Sentker, Thomas Fischermann, Uwe Jean Heuser, Stefan Schmitt: Future of technology: The new world wonders . In: The time . June 16, 2011, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed October 14, 2019]).
  5. ↑ sustainability. Retrieved October 14, 2019 .