Areas Of Application Of Niobium

#NO.1

Iron and steel industry
About 85% to 90% of the world's niobium is used in steel production in the form of ferro-niobium. The yield strength of steel can be increased by more than 30% by adding only 0.03% to 0.05% niobium to steel. Niobium can also induce precipitation and control the cooling rate to achieve a diffuse distribution of precipitates, adjusting the toughness level of steel in a wide range. Therefore, the addition of niobium to steel not only improves the strength of steel, but also improves the toughness, resistance to high-temperature oxidation and corrosion resistance, reduces the brittle transition temperature of steel, and gives the steel good welding properties and molding properties.

#NO.2

Superconducting Materials Industry
Some compounds and alloys of niobium have high superconducting transition temperatures, and thus are widely used in the manufacture of a variety of industrial superconductors, such as superconducting generators, gas pedal high-power magnets, superconducting magnetic energy storage devices, magnetic resonance imaging equipment and so on. Currently, the most important superconductor materials are niobium-titanium and niobium-tin, which are widely used in magnetic resonance imagers for medical diagnostics and in nuclear magnetic resonance machines for spectral line (analysis).

#NO.3

Aerospace industry
The aerospace industry is the main application area for high-purity niobium, which is mainly used in the production of engines and heat-resistant components for rockets and spacecraft. The heat-strengthened alloys of niobium and tantalum have good heat-strengthening properties, heat-resistant properties and machinability, and are widely used in the manufacture of parts for aero-engines and blades for gas turbines. In the United States, niobium alloys are used in the hot parts of the engines of almost all jet fighters.

#NO.4

Atomic Energy Industry
With its good thermal conductivity, high melting point, good corrosion resistance, and low neutron capture cross section, niobium is an ideal material for atomic energy reactors. The main uses of niobium in the atomic energy industry include: jacket materials for nuclear fuel, alloys for nuclear fuel, and structural materials for heat exchangers in nuclear reactors.

#NO.5

Electronics Industry
Niobate ceramics are used to make capacitors, and single crystals of compounds such as lithium niobate and potassium niobate are new types of crystals for optoelectronics and electronics with good piezoelectric, thermoelectric, and optical properties, and are widely used in infrared and laser technology and in the electronics industry. In addition, niobium has a high melting point, a strong ability to emit electrons, and an ability to absorb gas, which can be used to make electron tubes and other electric vacuum devices.

#NO.6

Medical field
Niobium has good corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, does not interact with various liquid substances in the human body, and hardly damages biological tissues, and can be adapted to any sterilization method, so it is often used in the manufacture of bone splints, cranial plate bone screws, implanted tooth roots, and surgical appliances.

#NO.7

Other Applications
In the chemical industry, niobium is a high-quality material resistant to acid and liquid metal corrosion, and can be used to make digesters, heaters, coolers, and so on. In addition, niobium acid is an important catalyst.
Niobium is also used in the foundry industry, where its main roles are to form hard carbides (which are good for wear resistance) and to change the shape and size of graphite flakes, and is thus often used in the manufacture of automobile cylinder heads, piston rings and brake pads, among other things. In addition, niobium is sometimes used in commemorative coins along with gold and silver.
Niobium helps to increase the light transmission properties of lenses and is therefore also used in the manufacture of lenses for the optical industry.
Niobium is also used in the lighting industry, e.g. alloys of niobium with 1% zirconium are used to make precision brackets for highly efficient, high-strength sodium vapor street lamps, giving these small parts high thermal strength, excellent formability, and resistance to sodium vapor corrosion.