Properties
Niobium is a grey, shiny, ductile heavy metal. The chemical behaviour of niobium is almost identical to that of tantalum, which is directly below niobium in the periodic table. The metal has a high melting point at 2,477 C °.
Applications
Niobium is used as an alloying addition for stainless steels, special stainless steels and non-ferrous alloys, since niobium-alloyed materials show an exceptional increase in mechanical strength. It is used in the metallurgical industries to produce nuclear technology, superconductive cables and magnets for rockets and satellites.