عالية الدقة المعادن النيوبيوم
iron industry
About 85% to 90% of the world's niobium is used in steel production in the form of ferroniobium. Just adding 0.03% to 0.05% niobium to steel can increase the yield strength of steel by more than 30%. Niobium can also achieve dispersed distribution of precipitates by inducing precipitation and controlling the cooling rate, thereby adjusting the toughness level of steel within a wide range. Therefore, adding niobium to steel can not only increase the strength of the steel, but also improve the toughness, high-temperature oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance of the steel, reduce the brittle transition temperature of the steel, and make the steel have good welding performance and formability.
Superconducting materials industry
Certain compounds and alloys of niobium have high superconducting transition temperatures and are therefore widely used in the manufacture of various industrial superconductors, such as superconducting generators, high-power magnets for accelerators, superconducting magnetic energy storage devices, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment, etc. . Currently, the most important superconductor materials are niobium-titanium and niobium-tin, which are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging instruments for medical diagnosis and nuclear magnetic resonance instruments for spectral line analysis.
aerospace industry
The aerospace industry is the main application area of high-purity niobium, mainly used in the production of rockets, spacecraft engines and heat-resistant components. Thermal-strength alloys of niobium and tantalum have good thermal-strength properties, heat resistance and processing properties, and are widely used in the manufacture of aero-engine parts and gas turbine blades. Nearly all jet fighter engines in the United States use niobium alloys for their thermal components.
Atomic energy industry
Niobium has good thermal conductivity, high melting point, good corrosion resistance, and low neutron capture cross section, making it a very suitable material for atomic energy reactors. The main uses of niobium in the atomic energy industry include: cladding materials for nuclear fuel, alloys for nuclear fuel, and structural materials for heat exchangers in nuclear reactors.
electronics industry
Niobate ceramics can be used to make capacitors. Compound single crystals such as lithium niobate and potassium niobate are new optoelectronics and electronics crystals. They have good piezoelectric, thermoelectric and optical properties and are widely used in infrared, laser technology and in the electronics industry. In addition, niobium has a high melting point, strong ability to emit electrons, and has the ability to get air, so it can be used to make electron tubes and other electric vacuum devices.
medical field
Niobium has good resistance to physiological corrosion and biocompatibility, will not interact with various liquid substances in the human body, and will hardly damage biological tissue. It can adapt to any sterilization method, so it is often used Manufacture of bone plates, skull plate bone screws, dental implant roots, surgical tools, etc.
other apps
In the chemical industry, niobium is a high-quality material that is resistant to acid and liquid metal corrosion and can be used to make digesters, heaters, coolers, etc. In addition, niobic acid is also an important catalyst.
Niobium is also used in the casting industry. Its main function is to form hard carbides (good for wear resistance) and change the shape and size of graphite sheets. Therefore, it is often used to manufacture automobile cylinder heads, piston rings, brake pads, etc. . Additionally, niobium is sometimes used on commemorative coins along with gold and silver.
Niobium helps increase the light transmittance of lenses and is therefore also used in the manufacture of lenses in the optical industry.
Niobium can also be used in the lighting industry. For example, an alloy of niobium and 1% zirconium can be used to make precision brackets for high-efficiency and high-strength sodium vapor street lamps, giving these small parts high thermal strength, excellent formability and resistance to sodium vapor corrosion. .
