International News

US Critical Materials List - Helium

October 27 , 2026 16 hrs 0 min 27 0

The US Department of Energy designated helium as a critical material, making it the 20th material on its critical materials list.
Helium (He) has atomic number 2 and belongs to Group 18 (noble gases).
It is the second-lightest element after hydrogen and has the lowest boiling point of all elements.
Liquid helium is used to cool superconducting magnets in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems.
Helium is also important for semiconductors, scientific research and space exploration.
Fluorine is the only other gas on the US critical materials list.