What is niobium and niobium alloys?

Niobium is a light grey, crystalline, and ductile transition metal. Pure niobium has a Mohs hardness rating similar to that of pure titanium, and it has similar ductility to iron. A niobium alloy is one in which the most common element is niobium. 

Applications

1.Alloys used for the production of other alloys

The most common commercial niobium alloys are ferroniobium and nickel-niobium, produced by thermite reduction of appropriate mixtures of the oxides; these are not usable as engineering materials, but are used as convenient sources of niobium for specialist steels and nickel-based superalloys. Going via an iron-niobium or nickel-niobium alloy avoids problems associated with the high melting point of niobium.

2.Superconducting alloys

Niobium-tin and Niobium-titanium are essential alloys for the industrial use of superconductors, since they remain superconducting in high magnetic fields (30 T for Nb3Sn, 15 T for NbTi); there are 1200 tons of NbTi in the magnets of the Large Hadron Collider, whilst Nb3Sn is used in the windings of almost all hospital MRI machines.

3.Aerospace rivets

Niobium-titanium alloy, of the same composition as the superconducting one, is used for rivets in the aerospace industry; it is easier to form than CP titanium, and stronger at elevated (> 300°C) temperatures.

4.Refractory alloys

Niobium-1% zirconium is used in rocketry and in the nuclear industry. It is regarded as a low-strength alloy.