Description
Ytterbium oxide is the oxide product of the rare earth metal element ytterbium. It can be used in thermal shielding coating materials, electronic materials, active device materials, battery materials and bio-pharmaceuticals. It is also applied to fiber amplifier and fiber optic technologies and in lasing applications. The spectral emissivity of ytterbium oxide-based materials also makes it be used as selective emitter in thermophotovoltaic devices.
References
Erbium oxide/ytterbium oxide doped glass lasers: U.S. Patent 3,663,474[P]. 1972-5-16.
Mao, Y., and J. P. Chang. "Erbium and/or Ytterbium Doped Yttrium Oxide Nanotubes for Optical Amplifier Application.".
Krishna, M Ghanashyam, et al. "Spectral emissivity of ytterbium oxide-based materials for application as selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic devices." Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells 59.4(1999):337-348.
Haumesser, Paul Henri, et al. "Determination of laser parameters of ytterbium-doped oxide crystalline materials." Journal of the Optical Society of America B 19.10(2002):2365-2375.
Chemical Properties
Ytterbium (III) oxide is white powder and pieces, has no odour, is insoluble in water, and is incompatible with strong acids, oxidising agents, and carbon dioxide.
Physical properties
Colorless cubic crystals when pure; tinted brown or yellowish white in presence of thulia; density 9.17 g/cm
3; insoluble in water; soluble in hot dilute acids.
Uses
Ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) is used to make special alloys, ceramics, and glass. It can be used
for carbon arc-lamp electrodes that produce a very bright light.
Uses
Ytterbium(III) oxide is being applied to numerous fiber amplifier and fiber optic technologies. High purity Ytterbium Oxide are widely applied as a doping agent for garnet crystals in lasers a important colorant in glasses and porcelain enamel glazes.. As Ytterbium Oxide has a significantly higher emissivity in the infrared range a higher radiant intensity is obtained with Ytterbium-based payloads.
Preparation
Ytterbium oxide is produced as an intermediate in recovering ytterbium from minerals (See Ytterbium). After opening the ore by digestion with concentrated sulfuric acid or caustic soda solution at high temperatures, rare earths are separated by ion exchange, solvent extraction, or fractional precipitation. Ytterbium fraction is treated with oxalic acid or sodium oxalate to precipitate ytterbium oxalate, which is ignited to yield ytterbium oxide.
Flammability and Explosibility
Not classified
