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"Niobium" - noble alloy in rare metals

Iron and steel industry:The steel industry is the largest industry of niobium consumption. Niobium, mainly in the form of iron niobium, produces high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel. In HSLA steels, niobium is usually less than 0.1% of the total alloy; therefore, these steels are also referred to as "microalloyed" steels. Adding only 0.03%~0.05% niobium to steel can increase the yield strength by more than 30%, and the unit strength cost is 15%~25% lower than that of ordinary steel. It not only improves steel toughness, high temperature oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, brittleness, etc., but also improves welding performance and molding performance, and can reduce the use of steel and reduce costs. Microalloyed steel is widely used to make high-strength steel bars for oil and gas pipelines, automobile parts, steel tracks, hulls and building structures. China's auto parts use microalloyed steel to reduce weight, so that the characteristics of lightweight cars are prominent, help carbon emission reduction, but also greatly increase the demand for microalloyed steel, while promoting the upgrading of the steel industry.

Aerospace:Aerospace is the second largest industry of niobium consumption and the main application field of high purity niobium. High purity iron niobium and niobium nickel alloy, niobium tantalum heat strength alloy and other niobium alloy, with excellent high temperature resistance, heat strength and machinability, can form niobium foil, niobium plate, niobium rod or complex shape parts, is widely used in the production of aircraft engines, rocket engines, jet engines, satellites, spacecraft, gas turbine engines, turbochargers and heat-resistant parts. Niobium resources play an important role in the development of aerospace industry, and also contribute to the transformation of China from space power to space power.

Superconducting material:Superconductivity is one of the most promising applications of niobium. Some compounds and alloys of niobium have a high superconducting transition temperature, so niobium alloys are used in the production of superconducting magnets, pure niobium can be processed into niobium rods, niobium tubes. In addition, niobium alloys are often processed into niobium-titanium tubes, which have been used in magnetic levitation trains, nuclear magnetic resonance device systems, nuclear particle accelerators and nuclear fusion reactors. At the heart of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instruments currently used in medical diagnostics is a magnet system, usually an electromagnet made of copper-plated niobium-titanium (Nb-Ti) alloy, which, unlike traditional X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans, insulates patients from potentially harmful ionizing radiation.

Other aspects:In the electronics industry, because of the chemical stability of niobium, it is used to produce small but large capacitance capacitors, which are applied to related electronic equipment. For example, niobium batteries, using Nb2O5 as the electrode material, have the advantages of difficult crystallization, durability and fast charging. In the field of biomedicine, niobium has good corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and adaptability, and has no adverse effects on the human body, so niobium plate, niobium rod, niobium plate, niobium wire is used to make bone plates, bone screws, implant roots, surgical instruments and so on. In addition, niobium tablets can be used to repair the skull. The nerves and tendons were sutured with niobium wire. Niobium strips are used to replace broken bones and joints. In the chemical industry, niobium is a high-quality raw material that is acid-resistant and resistant to liquid metal corrosion, and is used to make heaters, coolers, digesters, etc.

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