Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Managing the scarcity of chemical elements

  • Commentary
  • Published:

From Nature Materials

View current issue Submit your manuscript

The issues associated with the supply of rare-earth metals are a vivid reminder to all of us that natural resources are limited. Japan's Element Strategy Initiative is a good example of a long-term strategy towards the sustainable use of scarce elements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Science and Technology Future Strategies (a Materials Science division) Workshop participated in by leading Japanese materials scientists, held in April 2004 in Hakone (Japan).
Figure 2
Figure 3: Aquamaterial: non-flammable and environmentally friendly, easy to mould, and with silicone-rubber-like properties.
Figure 4: Titanium oxide (inset photos) undergoing a phase transition induced by light.

References

  1. de Meijere, A. & Diedrich, F. Metal-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions (Wiley, 2004).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2002/fs087–02/

  3. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10617r.pdf

  4. Bradsher, K. Challenging China in rare earth mining. The New York Times (21 April 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gilbert, N. Nature 461, 716 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tremblay, J-F. Chem. Eng. News 86, 8 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  7. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2010/mcs2010.pdf

  8. http://crds.jst.go.jp/output/pdf/contents2010.pdf p.90

  9. http://crds.jst.go.jp/output/pdf/10sp02.pdf

  10. www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2010/11/18/1299187_08.pdf

  11. www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/20090728_01.html

  12. Ozaki, J., Kimura, N., Anahara, T. & Oya, A. Carbon 45, 1847–1853 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Y., Nabae. et al. ECS Trans. 25, 463–467 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Ozaki, J., Tanifuji, S., Furuichi, A. & Yabutsuka K. Electrochim. Acta 55, 1864–1871 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Nishibayashi, Y. et al. Nature 428, 279–280 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Horiuchi, S. et al. Nature 463, 789–792 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Berkessel, A. & Groeger, H. (ed.) Asymmetric Organocatalysis (Wiley, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Wang, Q. et al. Nature 463, 339–343 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hayashi, K., Matsuishi, S., Kamiya, T., Hirano, M. & Hosono, H. Nature 419, 462–465 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nakamura, E. & Yoshikai, N. J. Org. Chem. 75, 6061–6067 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ohkoshi, S. et al. Nature Chem. 2, 539–545 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Nozawa, N. et al. J. Mag. Mater. 323, 115–121 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. www.nims.go.jp/jpn/news/press/pdf/press215_2.pdf

  24. Kuroda, K., Ueda, M. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 87, 53–60 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge partial support by the Global COE Program, 'Chemistry Innovation through Cooperation of Science and Engineering', MEXT, Japan, and Strategic Promotion of Innovative Research and Development (Japan Science and Technology Agency). We thank H. Hosono, S. Murai, K. Tamao and T. Nakayama for advice.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eiichi Nakamura and Kentaro Sato are in the Department of Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,

    Eiichi Nakamura & Kentaro Sato

Authors
  1. Eiichi Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kentaro Sato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Eiichi Nakamura or Kentaro Sato.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nakamura, E., Sato, K. Managing the scarcity of chemical elements. Nature Mater 10, 158–161 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2969

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2969

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation