It is well known that mankind is facing increasing pressure on the exploitation and utilization of resources and energy, and the relative limitations of the development and application of new energy technologies also determine that the current research on new energy cannot be the only choice for human energy development and exploration. Humans have also imagined, If you change your mind, opening up a new unfamiliar front is also a desirable attempt, such as in the space field. For this reason, scientists have carried out countless in-depth investigations and studies, and correspondingly made a lot of decisive progress.
According to a report from the Science and Technology Times in Beijing on November 10, the British journal Nature Communications published a new breakthrough in astrophysics on the same day: "Under zero gravity conditions, microorganisms can extract elements of economic value from rocks. "This is a good interpretation of the feasibility of microbial development of "biological mining", because if we persist, it will not only alleviate the current world energy pressure problem, but also lay a key foundation for human migration to other habitable planets. Economic value elements mainly refer to rare earth elements.
rare earth element
rare earth element itself has unique magnetic and catalytic properties, and it is precisely because of these characteristics that it can become a key component of electronic devices. More importantly, it can have extremely high military value in major military high-tech fields such as missiles, smart weapons, jet engines, and navigators. It has become the focus of competition among countries for resources. Therefore, its coercive effect is of strategic significance and very important. Profound.
However, we know that the mining difficulty and one-time use of rare earths are very difficult, and the cost is quite high, so nowadays it is urgent to find efficient and simple rare earth element extraction methods. The current microorganisms can already be used to extract rare earth elements from earth's rocks.
In today’s world, rare earths have been widely used in more than forty industries in 13 important fields such as electronics, petrochemicals, metallurgy, machinery, energy, etc. Especially the application of functional materials has a very special impact. We know that many modern military equipment have adopted this This special material has a low consumption rate, but due to its high practical value, it has an obvious effect on improving the function of products in various fields. It has the effect of "four-two-strength" and is called "industrial monosodium glutamate". What's more noteworthy is that rare earths are indispensable in the equipment of modern land, sea and air forces, which can be used as materials for army armor steel materials.
Figure M1A2 tank
The history of my country’s design of rare earth alloys for weapons and equipment can be traced back to the 1960s. At that time, rare earth carbon steel made armor steel more than 70% more resistant than ordinary steel. Ball milled cast iron containing rare earth elements doubles the lethality of the mortar shells made, realizing an essential leap in combat effectiveness.
In the fire control aiming system, rare earth elements can also show its unique advantages. The advanced fire control system can detect and fire the first enemy. During the Gulf War, the range measurement range of the U.S. M1A2 tank was as high as 4,000 meters, while Iraq could only reach 2,000 meters at most. Moreover, the U.S. military’s main battle tanks were also specially equipped with night vision devices containing “lanthanum” elements. In the dusty battle, the U.S. tanks played an overwhelming advantage that was unmatched.
Figure "Aegis" system destroyer
In the air force equipment field, the scope and extent of rare earth applications are undoubtedly wider and deeper, so that the aircraft can have stronger heat insulation and heat dissipation. In addition, rare earth metals have special high strength and high durability, which greatly reduces the weight of the aircraft. The high requirements for the robustness of the fuselage and the precise strike requirements of the airborne guided munition system caused by the ultra-high speed cruise are all "rare earth elements". can do it.
In naval applications, rare earth elements can greatly strengthen the titanium alloy materials commonly used in submarines, so that nuclear submarines with extremely high speed and great depth can be manufactured. Once such submarines are built, torpedoes generally cannot catch up. It is understood that the SPY-1 radar system, the core part of the US Navy's "Aegis" system, uses magnets made of this rare earth element, which greatly enhances its sensitivity and detection range.
It can be seen that the scope and significance of rare earth elements on military equipment in land, sea and air are very extensive and far-reaching, because it can increase the use level of equipment by more than one grade, and almost all of them are in key areas. This is why rare earth element technology It can be an important reason for the long-term focus of all countries in the world. (He Yuxiang)
