Revisão propriedades e biocompatibilidade dos terras raras

Abstract

The Rare Earths (REs), which are formed by the lanthanides together with Scandium (Sc) and Yttrium (Y), are a group of extreme coherence within the periodic table. Historically, since the 18th century, when they were discovered, the greatest difficulty encountered was the extraction and separation of their components. Thus, several studies were carried out until all of them were discovered, separated and catalogued, then Mendelev proposed the position within the periodic table. The term RE is erroneously used since these elements are more abundant than many metals, the term is applied due to the difficulty of extraction and separation of these elements that are found together with other metals. Currently, there are several studies aiming at the application of REs in several areas such as medicine, industry and technology. Previous characterizations allowed the analysis of the properties of these elements and possible applications. Europium (Eu) is widely used in studies as a spectroscopic probe. The spectroscopic and photoluminescent properties associated with these elements can be seen in studies of phosphors doped with TR ions, which have applications in white LEDs and optical devices. In medicine, TRs are used in biological marking, where Eu has proven to be efficient. In medicine, studies also show great notoriety in their application in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), as a dopant of photosensitizers for cell demarcation and improved cancer cell death. New studies will be necessary to improve the use of Rare Earths in the various areas mentioned above.