Important uses of niobium
steel industry
The steel industry is the largest consumer of niobium. Niobium, primarily in the form of ferroniobium, produces high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel. In HSLA steels, niobium is usually less than 0.1% of the total alloy, so these steels are also called "microalloyed" steels. Adding only 0.03% to 0.05% niobium to steel can increase the yield strength by more than 30%, and the unit strength cost is 15% to 25% lower than ordinary steel. It not only improves steel toughness, high-temperature oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, brittleness, etc., but also improves welding performance and formability, and can also reduce steel usage and cost. Microalloyed steel is widely used to manufacture high-strength steel bars required for oil and gas pipelines, automobile parts, steel rails, ship hulls, and building structures.
Aerospace
Aerospace is the second largest industry in niobium consumption and the main application field of high-purity niobium. Niobium alloys such as high-purity ferroniobium, niobium-nickel alloys, and thermally strong alloys of niobium and tantalum have excellent high-temperature resistance, thermal strength, and processability. They can form thin and complex-shaped parts and are widely used in the production of aircraft. Engines, rocket engines, jet engines, satellites, spacecrafts, gas turbine engines, turbochargers and heat-resistant components, etc.
superconducting materials
Superconductivity is one of niobium's most promising applications. Because some compounds and alloys of niobium have high superconducting transition temperatures, niobium alloys are used to produce superconducting magnets. Such superconducting magnets have been used in maglev trains, nuclear magnetic resonance device systems, nuclear particle accelerators and nuclear fusion reactors. get applied. The core of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instrument currently used in the field of medical diagnosis (Figure 5) is a magnet system, usually an electromagnet made of copper-plated niobium titanium (Nb-Ti) alloy, which is different from the traditional Unlike radiography and computed tomography (CT), patients are protected from potentially harmful ionizing radiation
Other aspects
In the electronics industry, due to its stable chemical properties, niobium is used to produce capacitors that are small in size but have large capacitance, and are used in related electronic equipment. For example, niobium batteries use Nb2O5 as the electrode material, which has the advantages of being difficult to crystallize, durable and capable of fast charging. In the field of biomedicine, because niobium has good corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and adaptability, and has no adverse effects on the human body, it is used to make bone plates, bone screws, implant roots, surgical instruments, etc. In addition, niobium slices can also be used to repair the skull; niobium wire can be used to suture nerves and tendons; and niobium strips can be used to replace broken bones and joints. In the chemical industry, niobium is a high-quality raw material that is resistant to acid and liquid metal corrosion and is used to make heaters, coolers, cookers, etc.
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