Application areas for molybdenum metal

Molybdenum (Mo) is a metallic element with an atomic number of 42. It is a silvery-white, lustrous metal with a high melting point and high thermal conductivity. Molybdenum occurs in nature as a variety of ores, the most common being molybdenite and molybdenite-copper.

Molybdenum has many important industrial applications. Due to its high melting point and high temperature resistance, molybdenum is widely used in the manufacture of high-temperature alloys, refractory materials and vacuum furnaces. Molybdenum is also an important material in the electronics industry, where it is used in the manufacture of electronic tubes, semiconductor devices and thin-film resistors. In addition, molybdenum is used in the manufacture of materials such as molybdenum wires, foils and sheets for use in electron microscopes, X-ray tubes and vacuum equipment.

Molybdenum is also an important alloying element. It can be used to form alloys with other metals such as iron, nickel and copper to improve the alloy's hardness, strength and corrosion resistance. Molybdenum alloys are widely used in aerospace, automotive and chemical industries.

In addition, molybdenum has a number of other applications. For example, molybdenum is used as a trace element for plants in agriculture to promote plant growth and increase yields. In the medical field, molybdenum is used as a radiotracer and as a pharmaceutical ingredient. Isotopes of molybdenum are also used in radiotherapy and nuclear energy research. Overall, molybdenum has important applications and values in various fields.

Chemical industry

Lubricants: Molybdenum dioxide is a good solid lubricant because it has a low coefficient of friction, a high yield strength, and can be used normally in a vacuum and at a variety of ultra-low and high temperatures, and is therefore used in a wide range of applications such as gas turbines, gears, moulds and dies, in aerospace and nuclear industries.

Catalyst: Molybdenum compounds are one of the most versatile catalysts and are widely used in the chemical, petroleum, plastics and textile industries. For example: molybdenum disulphide has anti-sulphur properties, and can catalyse the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to produce alcohols under certain conditions, which is a promising catalyst for C1 chemistry; molybdenum is used in combination with cobalt and nickel as a catalyst for petroleum refining and pre-treatment. Other common catalysts include molybdenum disulphide, molybdenum oxide, molybdate, ammonium sec-molybdate, and so on.

Electrical and electronic field
Molybdenum has good electrical conductivity and high temperature resistance, and the coefficient of thermal expansion is similar to that of glass, so it is widely used in the manufacture of spiral filament core wire, lead wire and hooks and other components. In addition, molybdenum wire is also an ideal electrode wire for EDM machine tools, capable of cutting all kinds of steel and hard alloys, and its discharge processing is stable, which can effectively improve the accuracy of moulds.
Medical field
Molybdenum is one of the essential trace elements of the human body and a component of many enzymes. Its main function in the body is to participate in the mutual reaction between sulphur, iron and copper. The right amount of molybdenum can promote human development, enhance oxygen storage in the body, inhibit tumours, maintain the energy metabolism of the myocardium and protect the myocardium, while the lack of molybdenum can lead to dental caries, kidney stones, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, macroglossia, oesophageal cancer and other diseases, and thus molybdenum has also been used in medicine, such as ammonium molybdate, a drug that is mainly used for long-term reliance on intravenous high-nutrition patients.
Animal husbandry
The biological role of molybdenum is based on its role as a component of certain molybdenum-containing enzymes in animals, indirectly influencing the biological activity of the enzymes. In addition to this, molybdenum plays a special role in the nutritional metabolism of ruminants. On the one hand, molybdenum is directly involved in the conversion of feed nitrate in the rumen as a component of the rumen microbial nitrate oxidase of ruminants, and on the other hand, molybdenum has a stimulating effect on the rumen microbes as a cofactor for the sulphate oxidase enzyme, which contributes to the digestion of crude fibre-based substances in ruminants and thus promotes the ruminant's Growth. Therefore, when the molybdenum content in pasture and feed is insufficient, it is necessary to add molybdenum additives to the feed in accordance with strict nutritional needs and process technology requirements to meet the needs of the animal, the most common example being the addition of 10 mg/d of molybdenum to dairy cattle feed.

Agriculture
Molybdenum is one of the essential "trace elements" in plants, and a lack of molybdenum can affect normal plant growth. As an essential trace element for plant growth, molybdenum not only promotes phosphorus uptake, but also accelerates the formation and conversion of alcohols in plants, increases the content of chlorophyll and vitamin C, and improves the plants' resistance to drought, cold and disease. In view of the importance of molybdenum to plants, many countries have begun to produce and use of molybdenum-containing trace fertilizers, such as Changsha County, Hunan Province, China, Nanhua Township, with ammonium molybdate seed mixing, peanut yield increase of 32.2%, Heilongjiang State Farm on soybean molybdenum fertilizer, soybean yields increased by about 10 per cent.