Main Uses Of Molybdenum

Molybdenum has a high melting and boiling point and is a typical refractory metal. It has a high modulus of elasticity and high strength at high temperatures, and is used as an important matrix material for high-temperature structural elements. The low vapor pressure and slow increase in evaporation rate with increasing temperature enable molybdenum to be widely used as an important material for electric light sources. Molybdenum is widely used in various industrial fields, take a look at the main uses of molybdenum!

Steel industry

Molybdenum, as an alloying element of steel, can improve the strength of steel, especially high-temperature strength and toughness; improve the corrosion resistance of steel in acid and alkali solutions and liquid metals; improve the wear resistance of steel and improve hardenability, weldability and heat resistance. Molybdenum is a good carbide-forming element, does not oxidize during steelmaking, and can be used alone or in combination with other alloying elements.

Electrical and Electronic

Molybdenum has good electrical conductivity and high-temperature performance, especially with the glass of the coefficient of linear expansion is extremely similar, is widely used in the manufacture of light bulbs in the spiral filament of the core wire, the lead wire, hooks, brackets, side rods and other parts, in the electronic tube to do the grid and anode support material. Molybdenum wire is the ideal electrode wire for EDM wire-cutting machine tools, which can cut all kinds of steel and hard alloys, and process parts with extremely complex shapes, and its discharge processing is stable, which can effectively improve the precision of molds.

Automobile Spraying

Molybdenum has good high-temperature performance and corrosion resistance, molybdenum and steel bonding force, so it is the main thermal spraying material in the production of automotive parts, spray molybdenum densities up to 99% or more, the bonding strength is close to 10 kg / ㎜ 2. This process effectively improves the abrasion resistance of abraded surfaces, but also provides a porous surface that can be impregnated with lubricating oil. It is widely used in the automotive industry to improve the performance of piston rings, synchronizer rings, forks and other wear parts, as well as for the repair of worn crankshafts, rolls, axle rods and other mechanical parts.

High-temperature components

Molybdenum's high purity, high temperature resistance and low vapor pressure make it often used to make heat generators and structural materials for high-temperature furnaces. In the production of tungsten, molybdenum and cemented carbides, most reduction and sintering furnaces are made by heating molybdenum wires, which are generally in a reducing or non-oxidizing atmosphere. Molybdenum wire can be used up to near melting point in hydrogen and decomposing ammonia, and up to 2000°C in nitrogen. Molybdenum is also used as a high-temperature structural material for glass melting, e.g. for guide channels, tubes, crucibles, runners and stirring rods for rare earth smelting. The use of molybdenum instead of platinum in glass fiber drawing furnaces has been effective and has greatly reduced production costs.

Oil Mining

In the development of low-lying areas of acidic natural gas, oil fields and the development of submarine oil and gas fields, not only a large number of H2S gas generation, there is also seawater erosion, so that the drilling pipe sulfurization brittle, rapid corrosion. Selection of molybdenum-containing high-strength stainless steel pipe can effectively resist the corrosion of H2S gas and seawater, greatly saving steel, reducing the cost of drilling oil and gas wells. Molybdenum can not only be used in oil and gas field drilling pipes, but also often combined with cobalt, nickel as a catalyst for petroleum refining pretreatment, mainly used for petroleum, petrochemical products and liquefied coal desulfurization.

Aviation and nuclear industry

Molybdenum alloy due to excellent heat resistance and high temperature mechanical properties, can be used as aircraft engine flame guide and combustion chamber, aerospace liquid rocket engine throat, nozzle and valve, re-entry vehicle end, satellite and airship skin, wing and guide piece and protective coating materials. Molybdenum metal mesh is used for satellite antennas, which maintain their fully parabolic shape and are lighter than graphite composite antennas. Cruise missiles use molybdenum-coated materials for turbine rotors, which work at a high temperature of 1300°C and rotate at up to 40,000-60,000 revolutions per minute, and have shown good results.

Molybdenum chemical products

Molybdenum and the salts of chromium and aluminum can be co-deposited to produce molybdenum chromium red pigment. Molybdate ions form insoluble Fe2(MoO4)3 with iron ions on the metal surface, which passivates the surface of the metal and achieves the effect of rust prevention. Its color changes from light orange to light red, with strong covering ability and bright colors, mainly used in paints, plastics, rubber, inks, automotive and marine coatings and other fields. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a good solid lubricant that plays a very important role in industrial applications. It has a very low coefficient of friction (0.03-0.06), high yield strength (3.45MPa), can be used in high temperature (350 ℃) and a variety of ultra-low temperature conditions, and even in vacuum conditions can be in the 1200 ℃ normal work, especially in the high-speed operation of the mechanical parts with excellent lubrication. Therefore, it is widely used in steam turbine, combustion turbine, metal roll, gear teeth, molds, automobiles and astronautical instruments.

Agricultural fertilizer

In recent years, ammonium molybdate has been widely used both at home and abroad as a micronutrient fertilizer, which can significantly improve the quality and yield of legumes, pasture and other crops. Molybdenum also promotes the absorption of phosphorus and its role in the plant, as well as accelerating the formation and transformation of sugars in the plant, increasing the content and stability of chlorophyll in plants, and increasing the content of vitamin C. Molybdenum is also used as a fertilizer to increase the quality and yield of legumes, pastures and other crops. In addition, molybdenum can also improve the drought and cold resistance of plants and disease resistance.