American Elements specializes in producing high purity Cerium Oxide Shot with the highest possible density and smallest possible average grain sizes for use in semiconductor, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) processes including Thermal and Electron Beam (E-Beam) Evaporation, Low Temperature Organic Evaporation, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Metallic-Organic and Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Our standard Shot sizes range from 1-3mm . We can also provide Shot outside this range for ultra high purity thin film applications, such as fuel cells and solar energy layers. Materials are produced using crystallization , solid state and other ultra high purification processes such as sublimation. American Elements specializes in producing custom compositions for commercial and research applications and for new proprietary technologies. American Elements also casts any of the rare earth metals and most other advanced materials into rod, bar or plate form , as well as other machined shapes and through other processes such as nanoparticles (See also application discussion at Nanotechnology Information and at Quantum Dots ) and in the form of solutions and organometallics. See research below. We also produce Cerium Oxide as rod , ingot, powder, pieces, disc, granules, wire, and in compound forms, such as oxide. Other shapes are available by request.

Cerium is a Block F, Group 3, Period 6 element. The electronic configuration is [Xe]4f²6s². In its elemental form cerium's CAS number is 7440-45-1. The cerium atom has a radius of 182.5.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 181.pm. Cerium is one of the products manufactured and distributed under the tradename AE Rare Earths. Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earths metals. It is characterized chemically by having two valence states , the +3 cerous and +4 ceric states. The ceric state is the only non-trivalent rare earth ion stable in aqueous solutions. It is, therefore, strongly acidic. It is also a strong oxidizer. The cerous state closely resembles the other trivalent rare earths. The numerous commercial applications for cerium include metallurgy, glass and glass polishing, ceramics, catalysts, as the electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells when doped with yttrium, gadolinium or samarium and in phosphors. In steel manufacturing it is used to remove free oxygen and sulfur by forming stable oxysulfides and by tying up undesirable trace elements, such as lead and antimony. It is considered to be the most efficient glass polishing agent for precision optical polishing. It is also used to decolor glass by keeping iron in its ferrous state. The ability of cerium-doped glass to block out ultra violet light is utilized in the manufacturing of medical glassware and aerospace windows. It is also used to prevent polymers from darkening in sunlight and to suppress discoloration of television glass.