稀土元素因其独特的4f5d电子层构型以及随原子序数递增而呈现的原子/离子半径递减现象（即镧系收缩效应），展现出优异的磁学性能、光学特性、电学性质及催化活性等物理化学特征，因此在诸多领域具有不可替代的战略价值。在传统行业，石油裂化催化剂、玻璃抛光粉、稀土合金、玻璃陶瓷等领域广泛应用稀土；在高新技术领域，电子元器件、机器人、低空经济、高端医疗设备等依赖稀土实现技术突破；在新能源领域，新能源汽车、风力发电机、镍氢电池等关键部件均需稀土材料支持；在国防军工领域，稀土更是提升武器装备性能的核心要素。

稀土元素在地壳中的含量并不“稀”，例如铈元素的地壳含量与铜元素相当，目前，世界上已发现的稀土矿物和含稀土元素矿物约有250余种，稀土含量较高的有50余种。重要的稀土矿物主要有磷酸盐与氟碳酸盐两类，其中有工业价值的矿物10余种。地壳中的稀土矿物主要富集于碱性超基性岩、碱性岩、碳酸岩、花岗岩及与其相关的矿床中。其中，轻稀土资源分布广泛，占稀土资源总量的90%以上，中重稀土资源分布不均衡。全球已发现的大、中型稀土矿床集中分布于中国、巴西、印度、澳大利亚、俄罗斯、越南、美国、丹麦（格陵兰）、坦桑尼亚、加拿大、南非等国家。

稀土产业链包括资源开发、材料制备、终端应用及循环回收等环节。上游侧重稀土资源的勘查、开采、选矿及冶炼分离工序，但由于稀土元素的原子结构、化学和晶体化学性质相近而经常共生在同一个矿物中，且极易被氧化，因此其开采和提取难度较大。遥感勘查、深海开发、超导磁选、生物提取等新兴稀土探采选技术成为稀土产业发展的前沿领域。卫星遥感稀土“光谱指纹”结合AI算法异常区筛选，精准圈定找矿靶区；深海采矿船及机器人技术突破，助力深海采矿平台搭建；浮团聚磁选技术与稀土超导磁选技术大幅提升选矿回收率；纳米孔稀土分选技术实现所有稀土元素的精准区分；生物浸出技术显著减少稀土开采的环境污染。

中游涵盖稀土永磁、催化、抛光、光学、储氢等功能材料的制备，也包括稀土铝合金、稀土镁合金等结构材料的生产。功能材料及应用的一体化研发模式成为稀土材料未来发展的核心动力。纳米颗粒改性增材技术极大提升了钕铁硼磁体的矫顽力，简化了制造流程；双合金成分调控技术通过设计双主相结构，兼顾了高性能与资源利用效率；稀土镁基固态储氢材料成为氢能领域的突破；铒/镱共掺光纤材料将成为长途光纤通信的核心材料；稀土掺杂固态电解质将推动全固态电池商业化进程。

下游则涉及高科技领域各类终端产品的应用，其应用技术在电子产品、生命医疗、类脑计算、量子计算等领域呈现出蓬勃发展的态势。稀土掺杂的有机发光二极管，不仅提升了显示效果，还延长了器件的使用寿命，为可穿戴设备等新型电子产品的研发提供了有力支持；稀土纳米颗粒在提升医学成像质量、药物递送精准度以及生物传感器性能方面展现出了巨大的潜力；稀土掺杂的类脑计算材料能够实现高效、低功耗的信息处理；稀土离子掺杂的光学晶体延长量子比特相干时间，为容错量子计算奠定基础。

在稀土循环利用方面，稀土废料与报废产品循环利用呈现快速发展的态势，回收技术围绕资源循环与环保需求持续突破。短流程钕铁硼永磁材料回收技术极大提升了综合回收率，并降低了能耗；稀土回收对象除传统的稀土产品报废件，还可以从粉煤灰等废料中提取，丰富了回收来源；等离子体气化技术以超高温分解油泥，稀土回收率高且实现零酸浸污染；微生物吸附回收技术通过基因工程改造菌株，选择性吸附稀土离子，兼具高效性与环境友好性，为复杂废液处理提供新思路。

稀土领域的技术创新已超越单一的资源开发维度，演变为涵盖绿色冶金、材料基因工程、智能制造、循环再生等多学科交叉的科技革命，推动产业向高端化、智能化与绿色化方向发展，为全球绿色经济与尖端科技发展提供关键支撑。未来，稀土技术的深度交叉融合将进一步重塑全球产业格局，并在资源开发、特种材料制备、智能制造、碳中和、量子计算、人工智能、循环经济等前沿战略领域释放更大潜能。

Rare earth elements (REEs), with their unique 4f5d electronic configuration and atomic/ion radius reduction with increasing atomic number (lanthanide contraction effect), have excellent physical and chemical properties like magnetic, optical, electrical characteristics and catalytic activity. REEs hold irreplaceable strategic value across many fields. In traditional industries, REEs are used in petroleum cracking catalysis, glass polishing powder, rare-earth alloys, and glass ceramics. In high-tech fields, they are crucial for electronic components, robotics, low-altitude economy, and high-end medical equipment. In new energy fields, REE-based materials are essential for key parts of new energy vehicles, wind turbines, and nickel-metal hydride batteries. In national defense and military fields, REEs are vital for improving weapon performance.

REEs are not rare in the Earth's crust. For instance, cerium's crustal abundance is similar to copper. Currently, more than 250 REE-bearing minerals have been identified, with approximately 50 of them containing relatively high concentrations of REEs. The most important rare earth minerals are broadly categorized as phosphates and fluorocarbonates, with more than 10 of them having industrial value. Rare earth minerals are primarily enriched in certain types of rocks, including alkaline ultrabasic rocks, alkaline rocks, carbonatites, and granites. Compared to medium and heavy rare earth elements (MHREEs), light rare earth elements (LREEs) are more widely distributed and abundant, accounting for over 90% of total rare earth reserves. MHREEs, on the other hand, are less abundant and exhibit a more uneven global distribution. Notably, large- and medium-sized rare earth deposits are mainly concentrated in China, Brazil, India, Australia, Russia, Vietnam, the United States, Denmark (Greenland), Tanzania, Canada, and South Africa.

The rare-earth industry chain encompasses resource development, materials manufacturing, terminal application, and recycling. The upstream focuses on exploration, mining, beneficiation and smelting separation of rare-earth resources. However, due to the similar atomic structures and chemical properties of REEs, which often coexist in the same mineral and are prone to oxidation, mining and extraction are challenging. Remote-sensing surveys, deep-sea mining, superconducting magnetic separation, and biological extraction, represent cutting-edge developments. Satellite remote sensing of REEs, combined with artificial intelligence algorithms, has enabled precise identification of prospecting targets through anomaly screening, i.e., by analyzing the unique spectral “fingerprints” of REEs. Breakthroughs in deep-sea mining vessels and robotic technologies have facilitated the construction and operation of deep-sea mining platforms. Flotation-agglomeration magnetic separation and rare earth superconducting magnetic separation are effective technologies that have significantly improved the mineral processing recovery rates, particularly for REEs. Nanopore rare-earth sorting technology has enabled precise differentiation of all REEs. Bioleaching technology has substantially reduced the environmental pollution caused by the extraction of REEs.

The midstream encompasses the production of functional materials such as rare earth permanent magnets, catalysts, polishing, optics and hydrogen storage materials. It also includes the manufacturing of structural materials like rare earth aluminum alloys and rare earth magnesium alloys. An integrated research and development model for developing functional materials and their applications has become the core driver for effective utilization of REEs. The development of nanoparticle-modified additive technology has significantly enhanced the coercivity of NdFeB magnets while simplifying their manufacturing process. Dual-alloy composition control technology, particularly through the creation of dual-main-phase structures, has enabled the achievement of both high performance and resource efficiency in a single alloy. Rare-earth magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage materials have demonstrated a significant breakthrough in hydrogen energy, offering a promising solution for clean and sustainable energy storage. Er/Yb co-doped fiber materials have emerged as key components for long-distance optical communication. Rare-earth-doped solid-state electrolytes have accelerated the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries.

The downstream involves the application of various high-tech terminal products, with its application technologies demonstrating vigorous development in fields such as electronic products, life sciences and healthcare, brain-inspired computing, and quantum computing. The development of REEs-doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has not only enhanced display performance but also extended device lifespan, providing strong support for the development of wearable electronics. Notably, rare-earth nanoparticles are potential candidates for improving medical imaging quality, drug delivery precision, and biosensor performance. Rare-earth-doped neuromorphic computing materials have enabled high-efficiency and low-power information processing. Rare earth ion-doped optical crystals have demonstrated the potential to extend qubit coherence times, laying the foundation for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

In the field of rare earth recycling, the circular utilization of rare earth scraps and end-of-life products is experiencing rapid development, with recycling technologies continuously making breakthroughs to meet the demands of resource circulation and environmental protection. The development of short-process recycling technology for NdFeB permanent magnets has significantly improved the comprehensive recovery rates of REEs while reducing overall energy consumption. In addition to traditional end-of-life REE-based products, extraction of REEs from waste materials, such as fly ash, has expanded the sources for REE recycling. Plasma gasification technology, capable of decomposing oil sludge at ultrahigh temperatures, has demonstrated high REE recovery rates with zero acid-leaching pollution. Genetically engineered microbial adsorption technology, which can selectively capture rare earth ions through modified strains, has evolved as a highly efficient and ecofriendly solution for complex wastewater treatment.

Technological innovation in the rare earth field has transcended the single dimension of resource development, evolving into a multidisciplinary scientific revolution encompassing green metallurgy, materials genome engineering, intelligent manufacturing, and circular recycling. This transformation is propelling the industry toward high-end, intelligent, and sustainable development, providing critical support for global green economy and cutting-edge technological advancement. In the future, the deep integration of rare earth technologies will further reshape the global industrial landscape and unleash greater potential across frontier strategic domains such as resource development, specialty material fabrication, intelligent manufacturing, carbon neutrality, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and circular economy.