Erbium Oxide (Er2O3) Powder

Erbium oxide (Er₂O₃) is a member of rare-earth sesquioxides. Er₂O₃ powder has a pink appearance and the crystal structure of the material is generally known to be cubic. Erbium oxide found to be insoluble in water and soluble in mineral acids. Er₂O₃ provides various excellent properties such as high dielectric constant (≈14), high mechanical strength, high chemical and thermal stability in contact with Si, wide bandgap (~5.4 eV), substantial hardness and high transparency in visible light. These properties of erbium oxide are utilized in different applications such as protective materials and in corrosion-resistant coatings, electrically insulating coating material, sensing membranes for pH detection, alternative gate oxides to replace silicon oxide in metal oxide semiconductor devices, display monitors, optical communication, Hall effect sensors, imaging in biological systems, and probing solution complexation properties. Furthermore, Er₂O₃ exhibits a good catalytic performance during the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene.