These metals are produced as a byproduct of major commodities and therefore their production and supply do not necessarily reflect demand.

GALLIUM - SELENIUM - GERMANIUM - INDIUM
Agricultural Commodities

Gallium

• Gallium -   A chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. A soft silvery metallic poor metal, gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures but liquefies slightly above room temperature and will melt in the hand. It occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores. An important application is in the compounds gallium nitride and gallium arsenide, used as a semiconductor, most notably in light-emitting diodes.

Selenium

• Selenium -   Selenium, a chemical element with atomic number 34, with the chemical symbol Se. Selenium occurs only rarely in the free state in nature. It is a nonmetal that is chemically related to sulfur and tellurium. It is toxic in large amounts, but trace amounts of it, forming the active center of certain enzymes, are necessary for the function of all cells in (probably) all living organisms.

Germanium

• Germanium -   Germanium, is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. This is a lustrous, hard, silver-white metalloid that is chemically similar to tin. Germanium forms a large number of organometallic compounds and is an important semiconductor material used in transistors.

Indium

• Indium -   Is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol In and atomic number 49. A rare, soft, malleable and easily fusible poor metal.

Those materials developed over the last thirty years or so, and being developed at present, that exhibit greater strength, higher strength, density ratios, greater hardness, and or one or more superior thermal, electrical, optical or chemical properties when compared to traditional properties.

ALUMINA - ZIRCONIA - YTTRIA
Refractory and Electronic Materials

Alumina

• Alumina -   Aluminium oxide is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is also commonly referred to as alumina in the mining, ceramic and materials science communities.

Zirconia

• Zirconia -   Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), sometimes known as zirconia, is a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Its most naturally occurring form, with a monoclinic crystalline structure, is the rare mineral, baddeleyite. The high temperature cubic crystalline form, called 'cubic zirconia', is rarely, if ever, found in nature, but is synthesized in various colours for use as a gemstone. The cubic crystal structured variety is the best-known diamond simulant.

Yttria

• Yttria -   Yttrium oxide is Y2O3. It is an air-stable, white substance. Yttrium oxide is used as a common starting material for both material science as well as inorganic compounds.

ALLOYS
Low Density and Greater Strength

Aluminum alloys

• Aluminum alloys -   Aluminium alloys or aluminum alloys are alloys of aluminum, often with copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, or magnesium. They are much lighter and more corrosion resistant than plain carbon steel, but not quite as corrosion resistant as pure aluminum. Bare aluminum alloy surfaces will keep their apparent shine in a dry environment, but light amounts of corrosion products rub off easily onto skin when touched. Galvanic corrosion can be rapid when aluminum alloy is placed in proximity to stainless steel in a wet environment. Aluminum alloy and stainless steel parts should not be mixed in water-containing systems or outdoor installations.

Magnetic alloys

• Magnetic alloys -   Example: Alcomax is a magnetic material consisting of an alloy of iron, nickel, aluminium, cobalt and copper. It is manufactured by traditional foundry casting or sintering techniques and was developed in the 1930s. Its principal applications are for triggering of proximity switches such as reeds and hall sensors. Other applications include, instrumentation, high temperature 'pot', holding magnets, horseshoe designs for lifting, entry door locks, NDT, magnetic fluid seals, and ferrous separation including sump plugs.

CARBON - BORON - SILICON - CARBIDE
Stronger Lighter Weight and More Heat Resistant

Carbon

• Carbon -   Carbon, is a chemical element that has the symbol C and atomic number 6. An abundant nonmetallic, tetravalent element, carbon has several allotropic forms. The abundance of carbon in the universe, along with the unusual polymer-forming ability of carbon-based compounds at the common temperatures encountered on Earth, make this element the basis of the chemistry of all known life.

Boron

• Boron -   Boron, is a chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. A trivalent metalloid element, boron occurs abundantly in the ore borax. Boron is never found free in nature. Several allotropes of boron exist; amorphous boron is a brown powder, though crystalline boron is black, hard (9.3 on Mohs' scale), and a weak conductor at room temperature. Elemental boron is used as a dopant in the semiconductor industry, while boron compounds play important roles as light structural materials, nontoxic insecticides and preservatives, and reagents for chemical synthesis. Boron is an essential plant nutrient, and as an ultratrace mineral is necessary for the optimal health of animals, though its physiological role in animals is poorly understood.

Silicon

• Silicon -   Silicon, is the chemical element that has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, silicon is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon. As the seventh or eighth most common element in the universe by mass, silicon occasionally occurs as the pure free element in nature, but is more widely distributed in dusts, planetoids and planets as various forms of silicon dioxide or silicate. On Earth, silicon is the second most abundant element (after oxygen) in the crust, making up 25.7% of the crust by mass.

Carbide

• Carbide -   A carbon-containing alloy or doping of a metal or semiconductor, examples: Calcium carbide (CaC2),Sodium carbide (Na2C2),Silicon carbide (SiC), Tungsten carbide (often called simply carbide), Cementite (iron carbide; Fe3C).

POLYMERS
Aluminum Silicas

Polymers

• Polymers -   A polymer is a substance composed of molecules with large molecular mass consisting of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. The term is derived from the Greek words: polys meaning many, and meros meaning parts [2]. The individual molecules which comprise a polymer are referred to as polymer molecules, where the word polymer functions as an adjective.