Terbium (Tb)

Terbium is a silvery-white, rare earth metal that is malleable, ductile, and soft enough to be cut with a knife.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered terbium in 1843, naming it after the Swedish village of Ytterby.
• The alloy Terfenol-D containing terbium shows giant magnetostriction, physically changing shape in a magnetic field.
• Terbium provides the green phosphor in fluorescent lamps and displays and enables magnetostrictive sonar transducers and flat-panel speakers.

Specifications & Metrics

• NUM: 65
• SYMBOL: Tb
• CATEGORY: Lanthanide