Rare earth market quotation in China: domestic rare earth price

China rare earth prices continue to show a downward trend in the week began on Monday July 15, especially for light rare earth elements. Owing to low trading activity of traders, capital shortage and no significant positive news, prices of light rare earth elements keep declining. Some medium-sized enterprises to sell the stock at low prices, but there are still many large enterprises stabilize the quotation.

China molybdenum prices stabilize but show signs of rise in the week ended on Friday July 26, 2019, thanks to active inquiry under the tightening availability of raw materials and increased demand of ferro molybdenum from steel mills. But both buyers and sellers still remain cautious sentiment. 

Analysis of latest tungsten market from Chinatungsten Online

The ferro tungsten and tungsten carbide powder prices in China are unchanged from the previous trading day on strong rised mentality of traders boosted by new round of environmental protection inspection but relatively low buying appetite of terminal buyers. 

Rare earth market quotation in China: the latest prices of terbium oxide, cerium oxide, dysprosium oxide and lanthanum oxide are still in the downward trend. Light rare earth market remains weak affected by the new round of environmental checks and output cuts of manufacturers. Medium and heavy rare earth market tends to stabilize, but same traders also sell products at low prices with the impact of capital pressure. 

Molybdenum market quotation in China: the latest prices of ferro molybdenum, molybdenum concentrate and molybdenum oxide climb slightly boosted by the short supply of raw materials and low inventories of downstream. 

Xiaomi company recently launched a tungsten carbide bead gel pen as a new product that is smooth, continuous and durable for writing, and the price is fair.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to promote the production of large quantities of rare earth magnets for consumer electronics, military hardware and medical research, concerns that China would restrict exports.

Trump cited the 69-year-old Defense Production Act, once used to protect American steel-making capacity, to remedy what he called a "shortage" and to produce super-strong magnets made from rare earth minerals neodymium and samarium.

Trump issued a directive Monday that the ability of the United States to make magnets is "critical to national defense". Trump said that without action, U.S. industry "could not reasonably expect to provide production capacity for its products".

The Defense Production Act allows the President to prioritize contracts for materials, equipment and services in order to maintain or build domestic manufacturing capacity. It is used to force the purchase of semiconductor manufacturing equipment so that companies can produce military radiation-enhanced microelectronics - a niche market in which businesses may not invest themselves. It is also used to finance research and procurement projects in lithium-ion batteries, light ammunition and other technologies.

Trump’s June executive report said the United States needed a stable supply of key minerals to ensure its economic prosperity and defense. At that time, the Trump administration promised to take “unprecedented action” to ensure that the United States would not be disrupted by the supply of rare earths, a group of 17 minor but vital elements led by China.

Washington - The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has completed negotiations on three cooperation agreement awards for the production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU). After selecting potential winners in February, the awards were negotiated and agreed with suppliers.

"Mo-99 is an important medical isotope that enables us to fight heart disease and cancer," said Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, director of the Department of Energy for Nuclear Security and NNSA. "These agreements will promote domestic production without the need for highly enriched uranium, greatly reducing the possibility of nuclear material proliferation."

Congress allocated $40 million to these incentives in fiscal year 2018 and $20 million in fiscal year 2019, and instructed the Department to issue a funding opportunity announcement to award cooperation agreements competitively. NNSA will fund each agreement at $15 million and require $15 million of matching funds for each awardee.

NNSA is supporting the establishment of surplus, reliable supply of Mo-99 produced in the US without the use of HEU. Mo-99 is used in more than 40,000 medical procedures in the United States every day, including the diagnosis of heart disease and cancer.

The American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2012 directed the National Nuclear Security Administration to cooperate with non-Federal entities to implement technology neutrality programs. The technology neutrality plan is open to all methods of producing Mo-99 and does not use highly enriched uranium.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine explained that harvesting rare earth metals from the lunar surface is an example of how companies can profit from space exploration. "There may be a lot of platinum group metals and rare earth metals on the moon, which are very valuable on Earth," Bridenstine told "Squawk Alley" CNBC on Thursday. Bridenstine said that because of "ongoing investments in space," it would be realistic to extract these metals from the moon in the coming decades.

On the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, NASA leaders made predictions about the future of the space industry and how it could be profitable.

Bridenstine said that because of "ongoing investments in space," it would be realistic to extract these metals from the moon in the coming decades. "Billionaires are actually investing in space and exploration, and NASA can benefit from it," Bridenstine said.

Under the guidance of the White House, the agency aims to send astronauts to the moon in 2024 under its Artemis program. NASA signed an Artemis contract with Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build its giant "space launch system" rocket and Orion capsule. In addition, SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing spacecraft that can send goods and humans to the moon. Using these private technologies, Bridenstine believes NASA will be able to achieve its current goal of "less than $20 billion" on the moon.

He emphasized that NASA wanted to be a "customer of many companies", which he often commented on. NASA is increasingly reliant on private companies, and Bridenstine believes this will help the agency put humans on the moon faster than previously expected.

“The transformation that came from Apollo is unquestioned, and it’s good for the human condition,” Bridenstine added.

Scientists at the University of Kansas say adding a layer of two-dimensional semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) can greatly improve the performance of organic solar cells. The research can also provide information for the design of interface between layers in hybrid organic batteries.

A team of scientists at the University of Kansas has found that combining organic semiconductor zinc phthalocyanine with a single layer of molybdenum disulfide atoms can greatly improve the performance of materials used as solar cells.

Using photoelectron spectroscopy equipment, the team was able to observe the behavior of electrons in the material. This has led to several discoveries about the interface between the two materials, which researchers say will enable them to identify new directions for the study of organic solar cells and two-dimensional semiconductors.

"As long as electrons can be transferred from one material to another in a relatively short time - less than a trillionth of a second, free electrons can be generated from the interface," Wai-Lun Chan said, associate professor of physics and astronomy, University of Kansas. "However, my graduate students and I have found that ultrafast electron transfer itself is not sufficient to ensure that light absorption produces free electrons. This is because "holes" prevent electrons from moving away from the interface. Whether electrons can break away from this binding force depends on the local energy landscape near the interface. "

Researchers say their findings will help further research to develop design principles for hybrid organic photovoltaic cells. "These detailed measurements enable us to reconstruct the trajectory of electrons and determine the conditions under which free electrons can be produced effectively," said Zhao Hui, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas and co-author of the paper.