Discovered in 1878 by P.T. Cleve in Uppsala, Sweden, and independently in Geneva by M. Delafontaine and J-L Soret. Holmium is a member of the lanthanide group and whose properties closely resemble those of erbium and dysprosium. It has an abundance of 1.4 ppm in the earth's crust. It is soft and malleable and is slowly attacked by oxygen and water. It is soluble in acids. Applications for holmium are limited, but it is used as a flux concentrator in magnetic fields and also as a poison in nuclear reactors where it assists in keeping the chain reaction under control.
Foil - Thin sheets of pure metal and metal alloys. Due to their fragile nature, some foils are coated on one side with an acrylic or polyester support. Where foils are supported they are indicated in the detailed item description.
When dealing with foils at 0.05mm or thinner, we offer 2 options: Light Tight tested foils (denoted as LT in our catalogue) or standard untested foils (denoted as Sizes in our catalogue).
When the foil thickness surpasses 0.05mm, there's no requirement for a light-tight test, as these foils become naturally denser and provide a more effective barrier against light.
