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The chemical symbol of niobium is Nb and its atomic number is 41. It is a gray shiny metal that exists in nature in the form of complex minerals and is often symbiotic with iron, tantalum, calcium, uranium, etc.
Niobium is a very ductile metal, almost as ductile as gold. Like other metals, niobium at room temperature forms a layer of oxide on its surface. What is more interesting is that the oxide layer on the surface of niobium will show different colors with different thicknesses.
Niobium’s acid resistance is very strong. Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid have no reaction at all. Even aqua regia, which can dissolve gold, cannot break its defense. Only a mixture of concentrated nitric acid + hydrofluoric acid can react strongly with copper powder.
However, niobium can combine with a variety of non-metals to form a variety of compounds, but the reaction process is usually very long.
In practical applications, the main application of niobium is metallic elemental niobium. Niobium has very good superconductivity at low temperatures, so it has an unusual position in the field of superconductivity. Niobium has a very high superconducting temperature, which is unique among currently available superconducting materials.
Niobium alloy is also a very important application direction. Adding niobium to steel can greatly improve the strength of the steel. Adding 0.001%-0.1% niobium to the steel is enough to change the mechanical properties of the steel. Adding 0.03%-0.05% niobium can increase the yield strength of the steel by 30%. above. High-purity ferroniobium and niobium-nickel alloys can be used in jet engines, gas turbine engines, rocket components, turbochargers and heat-resistant combustion equipment, etc., and have important applications in the aerospace field.
Niobium has a very low capture cross section for thermal neutrons, so it is also an excellent material for the nuclear industry.
In addition, niobium has very good biological adaptability and will not produce rejection reactions in the human body. It is an excellent biomaterial and is widely used in fields such as nuclear magnetic resonance and artificial bones.