Niobium has lain dormant for more than 60 years since its discovery. It was not until 1907 that chemists produced the metal niobium that it again attracted scientific attention.
Industrial production of niobium was initiated. The "ultra-pure niobium" they produced (niobium has a melting point of 2468°C) did not melt at 2500 °C, and later analysis found traces of zirconium in it. This unexpected discovery led to the creation of an ultra-high temperature resistant niobium zirconium alloy. One of the first users of niobium zirconium was the nuclear industry, where the metals sodium and potassium are commonly used as heat conductors in nuclear reactors. The tubes, made of niobium zirconium, are both heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant, allowing molten potassium or sodium to circulate safely through them. It is therefore widely used as a cooling conduit for atomic reactors.
In addition, in the aircraft, rockets, missiles and spaceships and other high-tech fields, also widely used in niobium alloy, such as high temperature resistance of niobium tungsten alloy, light and high strength niobium aluminum alloy, and has a very high electrical conductivity of niobium copper alloy.
Niobium is also the "vitamin" of steel. The addition of niobium in chromium steel can enhance the ductility, corrosion resistance and impact resistance of steel. The welding quality can be significantly improved by adding niobium to the electrode. For example, for special alloy steels that are difficult to weld, the problem can be solved by using a niobium electrode.
The metal niobium also has an amazing ability to absorb gases. A small amount of niobium, for example, can be added to the tube to absorb residual gas, ensuring a vacuum and thus extending the life of the tube. There is a kind of high-power transmitting tube with niobium as cathode, whose service life can reach more than 10,000 hours.
When superconductivity was discovered, niobium was quickly applied to this field. Among the thousands of superconducting materials discovered at present, niobium shows the highest superconducting temperature, such as niobium tin alloy at the temperature of 18K (255°C) superconducting.
