Rare Earth Metals Research Articles

Highly Efficient and Precise Rare-Earth Elements Separation and Recycling Process in Molten Salt

Owing to the worldwide trend towards carbon neutrality, the number of Dy-containing heat-resistant Nd magnets used for wind power generation and electric vehicles is expected to increase exponentially. However, rare earth (RE) elements (especially Dy) are unevenly distributed globally. Therefore, an environmental-friendly recycling method for RE elements with a highly precise separation of Dy and Nd from end-of-life magnets is required to realize a carbon-neutral society. As an alternative to traditional hydrometallurgical RE separation techniques with a high environmental load, we designed a novel, highly efficient, and precise process for the separation and recycling of RE elements from magnet scrap. As a result, over 90% of the RE elements were efficiently extracted from the magnets using MgCl2 and evaporation loss was selectively suppressed by adding CaF2. The extracted RE elements were electrolytically separated based on the formation potential differences of the RE alloys. Nd and Dy metals with purities greater than 90% were estimated to be recovered at rates of 96% and 91%, respectively. Almost all the RE in the scraps could be separated and recycled as RE metals, and the byproducts were easily removed. Thus, this process is expected to be used on an industrial scale to realize a carbon-neutral society.

Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction with rare-earth metal-based Ce-N-C catalyst

An atomically dispersed single atom catalyst based on rare-earth metal, Cerium embedded into the porous N-doped carbon (Ce-N-C), has been synthesized by using metal-organic framework method. The Ce-N-C catalyst have been physiochemically and electrochemically characterized in detail. Transmission electron microscope studies revealed atomically dispersed Ce atoms on the N-doped carbon support. The electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics of Ce-N-C-3 catalyst revealed an admirable activity with a half-wave potential of 0.89 V, nearly equal to state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. The K-L plots and RRDE measurements revealed a nearly direct 4 electron reduction of O2 to H2O by Ce-N-C-3 catalyst. In addition, the chronoamperometry studies with a simulated H2O2 environments clearly revealed the significance of Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple in deactivating hydrogen peroxide and/or hydroperoxide radicals. The commendable ORR activity, stability and peroxide resistance of Ce-N-C-3 catalysts is credited to the high surface area, atomically dispersed Ce atoms, formation of Ce-N4-C active sites in the catalysts, evidenced from the XPS analysis, in addition to the significance of Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple in the catalyst. Most importantly, chronoamperometric studies revealed clear evidence of Ce3+/Ce4+ couple significance, helping in effectively mitigating the peroxide related detrimental effects to the ORR catalyst.

Impact of substituting Cu2+/Ce3+ cations on the structural, magnetic and electrical properties of cobalt nano ferrites

The nano ferrite compounds Co1-xCuxFe2-yCeyO4 (with x values of 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75, and y values of 0.0, 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09) were synthesized through the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The characteristics of spinel ferrites were tailored by creating nano ferrites with desirable properties, which were then sintered at 1150 °C for 2 h in the presence of rare earth (Ce3+) and transition metals (Cu2+). They were investigated using dielectric, FTIR, FESEM, XRD, VSM, and DC electrical resistivity experiments. XRD examination verified the samples' cubic spinel structure by measuring the average crystallite size, x-ray density, and lattice constant. FESEM images revealed grain sizes ranging from 41.07 to 156 nm. FTIR spectra in the range of 415 cm−1 to 430 cm−1 further supported the substitution of Cu2+/Ce3+ ions in the tetrahedral sites, indicated by an increase in the lattice parameter. Measurements of the remanence ratio, saturation magnetization, anisotropy constant, coercivity, and magnetic moment, among other magnetic characteristics, were made. Higher concentrations of Cu2+/Ce3+ ions were found to considerably reduce magnetic saturation (Ms), coercivity (Hc), and remanence (Mr). These materials were semiconducting because their activation energy varied between 0.52 and 0.62 eV, and their DC resistivity increased with increasing Cu2+/Ce3+ concentration. Above 1 MHz, the dielectric properties became frequency-independent and decreased with increasing frequency. These ferrites seem highly potential for devices working at high frequency.

Highly active manganese nitride-europium nitride catalyst for ammonia synthesis

The development of efficient catalysts for ammonia synthesis under mild conditions is critical for establishing a carbon-neutral society powered by renewable ammonia. While significant effort has been focused on Fe and Ru-based catalysts, there have been very limited studies on manganese-based catalysts for ammonia synthesis because of their low intrinsic catalytic activity. Herein, we report that the synergy between manganese nitride (Mn4N) and europium nitride (EuN) yields an ammonia synthesis rate that is 41 and 25 times higher than that of neat Mn4N and EuN, respectively. Detailed studies suggest that a [Eu-N-Mn] species at the interface of Mn4N and EuN plays a pivotal role in ammonia synthesis. Compositing of Mn4N with other rare earth metal nitrides such as LaN, PrN, and CeN also leads to a significant enhancement in catalytic activity. This work broadens the scope of advanced nitride catalysts for ammonia synthesis.

Membrane transport of rare earth metal ions N, N’-bisdioctylphosphorylmethyl-1,4-diaminobutane by the active transport mechanism

The method of membrane extraction for rare earth elements (REE) using the carrier N, N’-bisdioctylphosphorylmethyl-1,4-diaminobutane (DPDA-8) ions, leveraging an active transport mechanism, has been optimized. The distribution of DPDA-8 within the membrane pores was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both light and heavy REE extractions from a simulated solution using DPDA-8 and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in 1,2-dichlorobenzene were explored. The influence of feed solution pH, carrier and anion concentration, supported liquid membrane (SLM) type and stability, and cell temperature, among other parameters, were meticulously examined. The results indicate a decrease in permeability with a decrease in feed solution pH attributed to competitive acid transport through the membrane. Additionally, the formation of H-complexes between carriers and perchloric or phosphoric acids was investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Changes in the stretching bands of amino and phosphine oxide groups in DPDA-8 were monitored and characterized. XRD analysis of the crystal structures of salts DPDA-6·ClO4 and DPDA-12·H2PO4 revealed a two-dimensional layered supramolecular organization with varying anion positions relative to hydrophobic fragments. The DPDA-8 carrier demonstrated significantly higher permeability values compared to TOPO, with differences in permeability exceeding twofold for certain metals. FTIR spectroscopy identified the main coordination centers of DPDA-8 during the liquid–liquid extraction of specific REEs.

Problems and institutional framework for the development of the rare earth metals industry in Russia

Problems and institutional framework for the development of the rare earth metals industry in Russia

Synergistic effect of bonding heterogeneity and phonon localization in introducing excellent thermoelectric properties in layered heteroanionic NdZnSbO material

Layered rare-earth metal oxides, harnessing the dual properties of oxides and two-dimensional layered materials, exhibit remarkable thermal stability and quantum confinement effects. Therefore, this work adopts the first-principles calculation combined with the Boltzmann transport theory to predict the thermoelectric properties of NdZnSbO compound. The coexistence of weak interlayer van der Waals interactions, robust intralayer ionic bonding, and partial covalent bonding leads to remarkable bonding heterogeneity, which engenders pronounced phonon scattering and imposes constraints on thermal transport along the out-of-plane direction. The weakened chemical bonds induced by the antibonding states, together with the rattling-like behavior of the Zn atom, culminate in the profound anharmonicity in the layered NdZnSbO compound. The weakening bond and heavy element contribute to the softness of phonon modes, which significantly diminishes the phonon group velocity. The redistribution-dominated four-phonon scattering process spans a large optical gap, which effectively reduces the lattice thermal conductivity. The NdZnSbO compound exhibits direct semiconductor characteristic with a bandgap of 0.73 eV by adopting the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) functional in combination with spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect. The multi-valley feature of NdZnSbO compound augur favorably for band degeneracy, thus amplifying the power factor. Consequently, an optimal figure-of-merit (ZT) of 3.40 at 900 K is achieved for the n-type NdZnSbO compound. The present study delves deeply insights into the origins for the low thermal conductivity of NdZnSbO compound and proposes an optimization scheme to enhance overall thermoelectric performance.

Structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of carbon-modified nanocrystalline Pr5Co19 alloys

Nanocrystalline rare-earth (R) and transition metal (T) alloys are known for their outstanding magnetic properties, which are driven by the combination of (R) and (T) magnetic moments. Adding carbon (C) has been proven to alter these magnetic properties. In the present work, we use X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography to investigate and characterize the impact of carbon addition on the crystalline structure, morphology, and chemical distribution of Pr5Co19 and its carbides Pr5Co19Cx. The nanocrystalline Pr5Co19 compound was synthesized by high-energy ball milling and the addition of carbon was performed by a solid-solid reaction between Pr5Co19 and C10H14. TEM study revealed that after carbonation the microstructure is refined, and the mean grain size decreases from 126 nm in Pr5Co19 to 65 nm with a carbon of content 1.5. Three-dimensional APT was performed to characterize the chemical composition of Pr-Co binary systems. The analyzed Pr5Co19C1.5 sample reveals an irregular nano-lamella structure decorated by carbon atoms, the distance between the lamellas varying from 8 to 20 nm. An under-stoichiometry of Co was found in the C-rich lamellas. Fundamental magnetic properties such as saturation magnetization Ms, exchange field Hex and magnetic susceptibility χ of the Pr5Co19 and its carbides were calculated using the random magnetic anisotropy (RMA) method.

Synthesis of Samarium Nitride Thin Films on Magnesium Oxide (001) Substrates Using Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Rare-earth nitrides are an exciting family of materials with a wide variety of properties desirable for new physics and applications in spintronics and superconducting devices. Among them, samarium nitride is an interesting compound reported to have ferromagnetic behavior coupled with the potential existence of p-wave superconductivity. Synthesis of high-quality thin films is essential in order to manifest these behaviors and understand the impact that vacancies, structural distortions, and doping can have on these properties. In this study, we report the synthesis of samarium nitride monocrystalline thin films on magnesium oxide (001) substrates with a chromium nitride capping layer using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We observed a high-quality monocrystalline SmN film with matching orientation to the substrate, then optimized the growth temperature. Despite the initial 2 nm of growth showing formation of a potential samarium oxide layer, the subsequent layers showed high-quality SmN, with semiconducting behavior revealed by an increase in resistivity with decreasing temperature. These promising results highlight the importance of studying diverse heteroepitaxial schemes and open the door for integration of rare-earth nitrides and transition metal nitrides for future spintronic devices.

A complementary eco-friendly approach to heavy metal removal from wastewater/produced water streams through mineralization

With the world's ever-increasing population, portable water needs have significantly increased. This has put enormous pressure on the limited supply of freshwater around the globe and has necessitated the development of water treatment technologies that would convert saline waters into potable water for domestic and industrial uses. As saline water is treated for usage, so is wastewater generated from domestic and industrial processes. More prominently, another wastewater source is produced water consequent to oil production. Wastewater and produced water are similar in that they are both high in pollutants (heavy metals), which in discharge streams need to be kept within a threshold. The fact that heavy and rare earth metals linked to the produced water cannot be completely removed by state-of-the-art technologies is even more concerning. Thus, a complementary technology must be developed for this reason. This study investigates the mineralization of water-polluting heavy metals. The approach adopted involves the exposure of contaminated water to atmospheric or captured CO2 and the use of additives to achieve the removal. To gain a deeper understanding of how these innovative efforts function, the study also looked into the mechanism used to eliminate the heavy metals. The findings show that heavy metals in produced water and industrial effluent can be precipitated and immobilized to remove them. More so, this is made possible by the infusion of heavy metals into the crystal structures of precipitates like aragonite, calcite, and halite. Furthermore, the mechanism of the heavy metal removal involves their dehydration, immobilization and precipitation. Additionally, DFT calculations were utilized to support the experimental results by shedding light on the heavy metal hydration's ground-state structures and how EDTA chelates the heavy metals and enhances the process kinetics. The study's findings show how this strategy complements the most advanced wastewater treatment method in terms of increasing its efficiency and water security and safety. More so, as this is a pioneering effort, the optimum concentration of chelating agent and route (atmospheric or captured CO2) must be determined on a case-to-case basis for field implementation. Furthermore, the limitation of this study is that the efficiency of heavy metal removal may differ based on the starting brine composition, thus, optimization must be conducted beforehand.

Cerium oxide for L-band Q-switched pulse laser generation

Cerium oxide (CeO2), a rare earth metal oxide belonging to the lanthanide group is a mature engineered nanoparticle that has been developed for various industry applications. The nanoparticle features defects in its lattice structure, which is highly advantageous for bandgap tuning, and is acclaimed for its least cytotoxicity among other metal oxides. In this work, CeO2 is employed as a saturable absorber (CeO2-SA) in the generation of an L-band Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser. Q-switching was attained at 33.33 mW pump power threshold with a central wavelength of 1600.512 nm. Within 33.33 mW to 153.20 mW pump power range, the Q-switched laser obtained pulse repetition rates between 11.00 to 34.48 kHz, and pulse widths between 39.0 to 12.0 µs, with a high maximum pulse energy of 410 nJ. The Q-switched fiber laser remained stable over a 45-minute observation time at 153.20 mW pump power. The room temperature and direct mechanical deposition fabrication technique of the CeO2-SA in this work demonstrates the extreme simplicity and low cost of the device, which would reduce the overall cost and facilitate a wider technology adoption of pulse laser systems.

Effect of Polymer Encapsulation on the Mechanoluminescence of Mn2+-Doped CaZnOS.

Rare earth and transition metal ion-doped CaZnOS has garnered significant attention for its exceptional mechanoluminescence (ML) performance under mild mechanical stimuli and its capability for multicolor emissions. Since powdered phosphors are not directly usable, they require encapsulation within with polymers to create stable structures. This study investigates Mn2+-doped CaZnOS (CaZnOS:Mn2+) as the ML phosphor, optimizing its performance by varying the Mn2+ content, resulting in bright orange-red emissions from the d-d transitions of the Mn2+ activator. A quantum efficiency of 59.08% was achieved through the self-sensitization of the matrix lattice and energy transfer to the Mn2+ luminescent centers. The enhancement in ML due to Mn2+ doping is attributed to the reduced trap depth and increased trap concentration. Encapsulation with four polymers-PDMS, PU, SIL, and RTV-2-was explored to further optimize ML performance. Among these, PDMS provides the best ML output and sensitivity, owing to its slightly cross-linked structure and good triboelectric properties. The optimized CaZnOS:0.03Mn2+/PDMS composite, featuring excellent flexibility and recoverability, shows great potential for applications in anti-counterfeiting encryption, stress sensors, and wearable devices.

Cerium rare-earth ions reinforced built-in electric field to enable efficient carrier extraction for highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells prepared by inorganic-organic three-dimensional hybrid have good power conversion efficiency, but their operational stability remains a major challenge for commercialization. The defect of perovskite is an important factor restricting its charge dynamics and stability. Here, the rare earth metal chloride CeCl3 is introduced into perovskite solution to passivate the defects, where the Pb2+ part of the B position is replaced by Ce3+. The prepared films have the characteristics of increasing grain size, enhancing carrier mobility and excellent crystallinity. Meanwhile, via passivating interface defects and improving carrier transport capacity, the generation of non-radiative recombination is reduced, the carrier migration length is extended, and the device performance is improved. The results show that the PCE of the standard device is only 65 % after 2880 h of N2 atmosphere at room temperature, while the efficiency of the device doped with CeCl3 can remain at 93 %. When the unencapsulated sample was placed in an air environment (40–60 % humidity), the control sample was reduced to 72 % at 1060 h, while the CeCl3 was maintained at 87 %. Additionally, the reduction of residual stress in the perovskite layer also provides good bending stability for the flexible target device. These results show that the incorporation of rare earth metal ions is an effective way to stabilize and improve the efficiency of the device.

High Selectivity MEMS C2H2 Sensor for Transformer Fault Characteristic Gas Detection**

AbstractAcetylene (C2H2), as an important characteristic gas in transformer fault diagnosis, should be accurately detected and effectively distinguished from other dissolved gases (H2, CH4, C2H6, C2H4, CO, CO2), which is crucial to determine whether the fault occurs and the fault type, but also faces challenges now. The rational design and employment of rare earth and noble metals are expected to address this issue. In this work, SnO2‐3 at% Sm2O3‐1 at% PdO based MEMS gas sensor was prepared to achieve high performance detection of C2H2 which has a response value of 56 to 50 ppm C2H2, response/recovery time of 2 s/136 s, lower detection limit of 1 ppm, power consumption of 15.5 mW, and weak cross sensitivity to other transformer fault characteristic gases. Lewis acids and bases theory was used to explain the reason why rare earth Sm is a benefit element to improve selectivity to C2H2. The formation of oxygen vacancies and hetero junctions was used to explain the increased sensitivity of the material. This study proved the feasibility of rare earth and noble metals as potential additives to enable advanced gas‐sensitive materials for highly selective transformer fault characteristic gas C2H2 detection.

Electronic Modulation of Doped MoS2 Nanosheets for Improved CO2 Sensing and Capture.

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are widely used in the gas sensing field, owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio enabled by the two-dimensional (2D) structure, adjustable band gap, and high electron transfer. However, it is challenging for TMD materials to realize superior CO2 sensing, due to their weak CO2 adsorption capacity. Herein, we predict through density functional theory (DFT) calculations that rare earth metal doping is an effective strategy to boost the CO2 sensing capability of TMDs. As a proof-of-concept, we investigate and find that the introduction of rare earth metal atoms (La, Ce, Pr, or Nd) can induce lattice strain and modulate the electronic properties of MoS2. When negative charges are injected in rare earth metal doped MoS2 (R-MoS2), the 5d or 4f orbital of the rare earth metal atom in R-MoS2 can produce a stronger orbital hybridization with 2p orbitals of C and O in CO2. Therefore, the CO2 adsorption is significantly enhanced and the charge transfer is facilitated for negatively charged R-MoS2. Moreover, negatively charged R-MoS2 exhibits an excellent CO2 selectivity. Our results indicate that the rare earth metal doping and electronic modulation in 2D materials may provide a new pathway for CO2 sensing and capture.

Synergistic effect of Prussian Blue, Ceria, and reduced graphene oxide in ternary nanocomposite PBNCs-CeO2-rGO for electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide

Graphene-based ternary composites incorporating rare earth metals have garnered significant attention for their potential in low-detection applications of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), owing to their cost-effectiveness and facile synthesis methods. In this study, we have reported the synergistic effect of Prussian blue nanocubes (PBNCs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and ceria nanoparticles (CeO2) in the ternary nanocomposite, i.e., PBNCs-CeO2-rGO for a low detection of H2O2. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity of ternary composite as compared to bare PBNCs and CeO2 nanoparticles was evidenced in different electrochemical methods such as Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Amperometry. The synthesized material was comprehensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. Remarkably, the synthesized material exhibited a low detection limit of up to 2.08 nM and a high sensitivity of 8671.6 μA mM−1 cm−2. Furthermore, the synthesized material demonstrated excellent selectivity, good reproducibility, and high stability, highlighting its potential for various sensing applications.

(Ce, Nd) co-doped TiO2 NPs via hydrothermal route:Structural, optical, photocatalytic and thermal behavior

Rare earth (Ce, Nd) doped/co-doped titania (TiO2) nanoparticles were successfully produced by hydrothermal route. Titanium isopropoxide (IV), cerium nitrate hexahydrate and neodymium nitrate hexahydrate were utilized as raw/starting materials. The effect of Ce and Nd doping/co-doping in TiO2 were studied through different complementary tools such as XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, EDX, XPS, UV–Visible, PL, photocatalytic and thermal analysis. XRD spectra revealed anatase tetragonal phase and cubic phase due to titania and ceria nanoparticles respectively. The crystallite size, lattice constants, volume and no. of unit cell were determined through XRD data. Optical studies revealed the band gap, urbach energy, extinction coefficient, refractive index, optical conductivity and photoluminescence emission wavelength. FTIR spectra investigated the chemical bondings and functional groups present in prepared samples. Optical absorption spectra confirmed that absorption edge is red shifted, indicating a decrease in band gap from 3.5 to 3.0 eV with the incorporation of rare earth ions (Ce, Nd) in TiO2 matrix. The rate of electron-hole pair recombination was reduced through co-doping of (Ce, Nd) in TiO2 lattice as exhibited by reduction in intensity of photo luminescence spectra. The photocatalytic efficiency was enhanced with the integration of rare earth metal ions in TiO2 matrix for different dyes such as rhodamine B (RhB) and malachite green (MG) with visible light irradiation. The degradation efficiency of (Ce, Nd) co-doped TiO2 NPs against RhB and MG dyes was found to be 89 and 95 % respectively. TGA analysis was carried out to find weight loss during different thermodynamic phases such as dehydration, decomposition and combustion, and crystallization. Various thermodynamic parameters such as activation energy, entropy and enthalpy were estimated by thermal analysis.

Molecular Origins of Near-Infrared Luminescence in Molybdenum and Tungsten Oxyhalide Perovskites.

Materials with near-infrared (near-IR) luminescence are desirable for applications in communications and sensing, as well as biomedical diagnostics and imaging. The most used inorganic near-IR emitters rely on precise doping of host crystal structures with select rare-earth or transition metal ions. Recently, another class of materials with intrinsic near-IR emission has been reported. The compositions of these materials were initially described as vacancy-ordered halide double perovskites Cs2MoCl6 and Cs2WCl6, but further investigation by some of us on the compound reported as Cs2WCl6 revealed an oxyhalide instead, with a composition Cs2WO x Cl6-x , where 1 < x < 2. Here we demonstrate that the Mo compounds similarly possess the composition Cs2MoO x Cl6-x or Cs2MoO x Br6-x where 1 < x < 2. Preparing the pure halide appears harder for Mo than for W, and we have not succeeded in doing so. The distinctly different composition requires the coordination environment and oxidation state for the Mo and W centers to be reconsidered from what was assumed for the pure halides. In this work, we examine the mechanism for near-IR emission in these materials given their true structures and compositions. We demonstrate that the luminescence is due to the specific d-orbital splitting caused by the presence of oxygen in the distorted [MOX5]2- octahedra (X is Cl or Br). The fine structure in the emission spectra at low temperatures has been resolved and is attributed to vibronic coupling to the Mo-O and W-O bond stretches. Understanding the true structure and composition of these interesting materials, besides explaining the near-IR luminescence, suggests how this desirable emission can be realized and manipulated.

Terpolymerization of Ethylene with Hexene and Styrene Derivatives by Half-Sandwich Scandium Catalyst.

The terpolymerization of ethylene with hexene and styrene derivatives was achieved with a rare earth metal catalyst (C5Me4SiMe3)Sc(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)2 to prepare functional polyethylene. The catalyst system exhibited high activity in the terpolymerization of ethylene with hexene and amine-substituted styrene, affording terpolymers a moderate molecular weight and a unimodal molecular weight distribution. In addition, the comonomer content of the terpolymers can be controlled by changing the feeding ratio of monomers. The aliphatic region of the 13C NMR spectra reveals that the structural units of the comonomers are separately incorporated into the polyethylene backbone. Terpolymers containing styrene derivatives exhibit enhanced tensile strength and significantly improve hydrophilic properties.

Bis(phosphinophenyl)amido-Ligated Binuclear Rare-Earth Metal Complexes for Highly cis-1,4-Selective Polymerization of 1,3-Conjugated Dienes.

A series of binuclear rare-earth metal complexes based on the ligands containing bis(phosphinophenyl)amido-PNP unit are successfully synthesized. All the ligands and the corresponding binuclear complexes are fully characterized by NMR spectra (1H, 13C, and 31P). In conjunction with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4], all the binuclear complexes exhibited high catalytic activity and high cis-1,4-selectivity (>99%) toward the polymerization of 1,3-conjugated dienes (isoprene, β-myrcene and β-farnesene) with excellent livingness at room temperature or even 80°C.