RE: RNS12 Aug 2025 18:29
When you think of critical minerals, you probably think of lithium or cobalt, but some of the most threatened minerals are ones you may not have heard of. One such element is gallium (Ga). This elusive metal has been a recent victim of the simmering trade war between China and western nations, triggering a price surge. With no primary gallium mines in existence, can new sources be found?
Gallium is a soft, silvery white metal with a melting point similar to chocolate; it melts in your hand. Gallium is used in low-melting-point alloys, but its’ main use is in gallium nitride semiconductors, key components of many high-tech devices such as cell phones, LEDs, switches, fiber optic cables, solar panels, and many others. The internet signal you’re using to read this article may well be made possible by gallium. Gallium nitride is also vital to many advanced missile systems, notably Patriot missiles, one of the few effective defenses against increasingly deadly long-range missiles.