Niobium is a light gray material with a lustrous white appearance on polished surfaces. The metal has a density of 8.58 g/cm³ and a high melting point of 2,477 °C. It has good formability even at low temperatures. The ductile material often accompanies with tantalum in a natural ore and demonstrates excellent oxidation and chemical resistance like tantalum. It is a material for innovations with very high future potential.
Applications of Niobium
Niobium’s unique combination of physical and chemical elements makes it a material of choice in a myriad of challenging high technology applications such as electronics, optics and superalloys. It demonstrates superconducting properties at very low temperatures, which make it suitable for use in particle accelerator construction. Niobium carbide improves operating efficiency of hard metal cutting tools by increasing their stability.
Niobium not only imparts anti-reflective properties to optical surfaces, but also optimizes their scratch resistance. This quality makes it useful in applications such as optical lenses, monitors, and touchscreens, to name a few. Single crystals grown from lithium niobate are used as the base material for radio frequency filters or SAW filters, which facilitate wireless data transfer and mobile communication without disruption.
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Niobium Products from H.C. Starck Solutions
H.C. Starck Solutions produces niobium oxide and niobium compounds in addition to niobium semi-finished products and finished parts. With these high-quality products, H.C. Starck Solutions serves as a reliable partner for clients in any industry. Consistently high quality and tailored application technology support are the characteristics of the niobium products offered by H.C. Starck Solutions.
Building on its experience and know-how in application technology, H.C. Starck Solutions is capable of providing product solutions for addressing every technological challenge and customized solutions to meet specific customer requirements. With ground-breaking niobium recycling processes, H.C. Starck Solutions is able to recover pure niobium from virtually any type of niobium scrap or production residues containing niobium.
AMPERLOY nickel niobium supplied by H.C. Starck Solutions is employed as an additive for superalloys to enhance special steels. Moreover, it improves resistance to tensile loading and shocks caused by impact or vibration as well as elevated temperatures. Niobium oxides from H.C. Starck Solutions have a high level of chemical purity and have found use in the optical industry in lens production for glasses and digital camera components. Niobium chlorides, niobium oxalates, and niobates offered by H.C. Starck Solutions are utilized as pigments, ferrites, catalysts, piezo ceramics, and as dopants for electroceramics.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by H.C. Starck Solutions.
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