Niobium has a very low capture cross section for thermal neutrons, so it is quite useful in the nuclear industry. Tantalum can be used to make evaporation vessels, etc., and can also be used as electrodes, rectifiers, and electrolytic capacitors for electron tubes. It is used medically to make thin sheets or threads to repair damaged tissue. Tantalum-niobium ore refers to the general name of minerals containing tantalum and niobium. Used to prepare tantalum oxide and oxidation.
C-103 is a niobium alloy, which contains 89% niobium, 10% hafnium and 1% titanium. It can be used in liquid rocket thruster nozzles, such as the main body of the Apollo lunar module. engine. The Apollo Service Module used another niobium alloy. Since niobium begins to oxidize above 400°C, a protective coating must be applied to its surface to prevent it from becoming brittle.
Niobium slices can be used to repair skull damage, niobium wire can be used to suture nerves and tendons, niobium strips can replace broken bones and joints, and niobium gauze or niobium mesh made of niobium wire can be used. to compensate for muscle tissue.
Extended information
The characteristics of tantalum make it have a wide range of applications. In equipment for preparing various inorganic acids, tantalum can be used to replace stainless steel, and its service life can be extended dozens of times compared to stainless steel. In addition, in the chemical, electronic, electrical and other industries, tantalum can replace the tasks that used to be performed by the precious metal platinum, greatly reducing the cost. ?
Tantalum is manufactured into capacitors and is used in military equipment. The U.S. military industry is extremely developed and it is the world's largest arms exporter. Half of the world's tantalum metal output is used in the production of tantalum capacitors. The U.S. Department of Defense Logistics Agency is the largest owner of tantalum metal and once bought out one-third of the world's tantalum powder.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Niobium
Baidu Encyclopedia - Tantalum