Phosphors Yttrium oxide is widely used to make
Eu:YVO4 and Eu:Y2O3
phosphors that give the red color in color TV picture tubes.
Yttria lasers Y2O3 is a prospective
solid-state laser material. In particular, lasers with
ytterbium as
dopant allow the efficient operation both in
continuous operation At high concentration of excitations (of order of 1%) and poor cooling, the quenching of emission at laser frequency and avalanche broadband emission takes place. (Yttria-based lasers are not to be confused with YAG lasers using
yttrium aluminium garnet, a widely used crystal host for rare earth laser dopants).
Gas lighting The original use of the mineral yttria and the purpose of its extraction from mineral sources was as part of the process of making gas mantles and other products for turning the flames of artificially-produced gases (initially hydrogen, later coal gas, paraffin, or other products) into human-visible light. This use is almost obsolete - thorium and cerium oxides are larger components of such products these days.
Dental ceramics Yttrium oxide is used to stabilize the
Zirconia in late-generation porcelain-free metal-free dental ceramics. This is a very hard ceramic used as a strong base material in some full ceramic restorations. The zirconia used in dentistry is
zirconium oxide which has been stabilized with the addition of
yttrium oxide. The full name of zirconia used in dentistry is "yttria-stabilized zirconia" or YSZ.
Microwave filters Yttrium oxide is also used to make
yttrium iron garnets, which are very effective
microwave filters.
Superconductors Y2O3 is used to make the
high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7, known as "1-2-3" to indicate the ratio of the metal constituents: : 2 Y2O3 + 8 BaO + 12 CuO + O2 → 4 YBa2Cu3O7 This synthesis is typically conducted at 800 °C.
Inorganic synthesis Yttrium oxide is an important starting point for inorganic compounds. For organometallic chemistry it is converted to
YCl3 in a reaction with concentrated
hydrochloric acid and
ammonium chloride.
High-temperature coatings Y2O3 is used in specialty coatings and pastes that can withstand high temperatures and act as a barrier for reactive metals such as uranium.
Heat radiators NASA developed a material it dubbed Solar White that it is exploring for use as a radiator in deep space, where it is expected to reflect more than 99.9% of the sun’s energy (low solar radiation absorption and high infrared emittance). A sphere covered with a 10 mm coating sited far from the Earth and 1
astronomical unit from the sun could keep temperatures below 50 K. One use is long-term cryogenic storage.
Optical Industry It's also used to create red
phosphors for LED screens and TV tubes, as well as in anti-reflective coatings to enhance light transmission. ==Natural occurrence==