Hafnium (Hf) – Properties, Applications

Topics Covered

Introduction
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications

Introduction

Hafnium is a chemical element with Hf as its symbol. It belongs to group 4, periodic number 6 of the periodic table. Its atomic number is 72.

Hafnium is a lustrous, silvery, ductile metal that has a closely packed hexagonal crystal structure. The tough, dense oxide film on its surface helps to protect the metal from corrosion. The metal is also not affected by alkalis and acids except for hydrofluoric acid. However it will react with oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, boron, sulfur and silicon.

Hafnium is chemically similar to zirconium. Most of the hafnium is procured from the titanium ores - ilmenite and rutile – deposits, which yield most of the zirconium.

Chemical Properties

The chemical properties of hafnium (rod) are provided in the table below.

Physical Properties

The following table discusses the physical properties of hafnium.

Mechanical Properties

The mechanical properties of hafnium are tabulated below.

Thermal Properties

The thermal properties of hafnium are tabulated below.

Applications

The following are the application areas of hafnium:

• In filaments and electrodes
• In superalloys
• As the electrode in plasma cutting
• In gas-filled and incandescent lamps
• In vacuum tubes as a getter
• In control rods in nuclear power plants