Iron industry

About 85% to 90% of the world's Niobium is used in the form of ferroniobium for steel production. Just adding 0.03% to 0.05% niobium in steel can increase the yield strength of steel by more than 30%. Niobium can also induce precipitation and control the cooling rate, to achieve the distribution of precipitates, in a wide range of steel to adjust the toughness level. Therefore, the addition of niobium in steel can not only improve the strength of steel, but also improve the toughness of steel, high temperature oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance, reduce the steel brittle transition temperature, so that steel has good welding performance and molding performance.

Superconducting materials industry

Some of the compounds and alloys of niobium have a high superconducting transition temperature and are therefore widely used in the manufacture of various industrial superconductors such as superconducting generators, accelerator high power magnets, superconducting magnetic accumulators, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment, etc. The At present, the most important superconductor materials are niobium-titanium and niobium-tin, are widely used in medical diagnosis of magnetic vibration imaging instrument and for the spectrum (analysis) of the nuclear magnetic resonance instrument.

Aerospace industry

The aerospace industry is the main application area for high-purity niobium, mainly for the production of rockets, spacecraft engines and heat-resistant components. Niobium and tantalum thermal alloy has good thermal strength, heat resistance and processing performance, widely used in the manufacture of aircraft engine parts, gas turbine blades. In the United States almost all jet fighters of the engine heat components are used niobium alloy.

Atomic Energy Industry

The thermal conductivity of niobium is good, the melting point is high, the corrosion resistance is good, and the neutron capture cross section is low, which is a kind of material which is very suitable for the atomic energy reactor. The main uses of niobium in the atomic energy industry include: cladding materials for nuclear fuel, alloys for nuclear fuels, and structural materials for heat exchangers in nuclear reactors.

Electronics industry

Niobate ceramics can be used to make capacitors, lithium niobate, potassium niobate and other compounds Single crystal is a new type of optoelectronics and electronics crystals, with good piezoelectric, thermoelectric and optical properties, is widely used in infrared, laser technology and Electronics industry. In addition, niobium has a high melting point, strong emissive electrons, and has a suction capacity that can be used to fabricate tubes and other electrical vacuum devices.

Medical field

Niobium has good resistance to physiological and corrosive and biocompatible, does not work with the body of a variety of liquid substances, and almost no damage to the biological body tissue, for any sterilization methods can adapt, and thus often used Manufacture bone plate, skull plate bone screw, implanted root, surgical instruments and so on.

Other applications

In the chemical industry, niobium is a high quality acid and liquid metal corrosion of the material can be used for the production of digesters, heaters, coolers and so on. In addition, niobic acid is also an important catalyst.

Niobium is also applied to the foundry industry, its main role is to form a hard carbide (beneficial to wear) and change the shape and size of graphite sheet, which is often used in the manufacture of automotive cylinder head, piston ring and brake pads The In addition, niobium is sometimes used with gold and silver on commemorative coins.

Niobium helps to increase the transmittance of the lens, and is therefore applied to the manufacture of optical industry lenses.

Niobium can also be applied to the lighting industry, such as niobium and 1% zirconium alloy can be used to produce high-performance high-strength sodium vapor street lamp precision bracket, so that these small parts with high heat strength, excellent formability and resistance to sodium vapor corrosion.