New sensor detects valuable rare earth element terbium from non-traditional sources

A new luminescent sensor can detect terbium, a valuable rare earth element, from complex environmental samples like acid mine waste. The sensor, developed by researchers at Penn State, takes advantage of a protein that very specifically binds to rare earth elements and could be harnessed to help develop a domestic supply of these metals, which are used in technologies such as smart phones, electric car batteries, and energy efficient lighting. A paper describing the sensor appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Credit: Rachel Brennan, Penn State Credit: Emily Featherston, Penn State

Research Paper: Probing Lanmodulin’s Lanthanide Recognition via Sensitized Luminescence Yields a Platform for Quantification of Terbium in Acid Mine Drainage https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c06360

News Source: https://science.psu.edu/news/Cotruvo8-2021 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-mECnnAio