Aspects of technology transfer

Bibliometric studies have shown that the number of articles and citations of these articles in extractive metallurgy is relatively small compared to most other scientific and engineering disciplines. However, many of these other disciplines can have a significant influence on extractive metallurgy, and this article gives examples drawn from such diverse areas as solid-state chemistry, materials for energy storage, solid-state physics, molten salt chemistry, and physical metallurgy. By use of this information, it is demonstrated that significant improvements in the extraction of metals are possible.