Often found and mined in the same place as Tantalum and with many of the same properties, Niobium is commonly chosen as a lower cost, lighter weight alternative.
Where strength and corrosion resistance are required, Niobium can deliver. Where conductivity is critical, Niobium is super-charged. This makes it suitable for a wide range of every day and specialist uses, with interesting super-conductive, strength, heat and corrosion resistant properties, Niobium is a mass-market metal with a twist.
Around 75% of the worlds Niobium supply goes into the production of steel alloys, bringing strength and corrosion resistance to structural beams and girders, oil rigs and gas pipelines. But, at the other end of the spectrum it is used in car components to increase corrosion resistance and Niobium Oxide is used to improve the refractive index in glass so we can make ultra-thin lenses for glasses, cameras and other optical equipment.
Up to now, Nb and NbTi alloys becomes the first candidates for making RF cavity and Magnets because it has the advantages of its superconductivity properties.
Strength and temperature applications include:
Other Niobium applications include;