PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

PHASE — Solid
STD ATOMIC WEIGHT — Solid
STD ATOMIC WEIGHT — 92.90638(2) g-mol-1
MELTING TEMPERATURE — 2750 K, 2477° C, 4491° F
BOILING POINT — 5017 K, 4744° C, 8571° F
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE — Body Centered Cubic
ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY — (0 °C) 152 nΩ·m
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY — (300 K) 53.7 W·m−1·K−1
THERMAL EXPANSION — 7.3 µm/(m·K)

GENERAL PROPERTIES

SYMBOL — Nb
NUMBER — 41
ELEMENT CATEGORY: — Transition Metals

KEY FACTS

  • Discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatchett, an English chemist
  • Closely related to tantalum
  • Lowest melting point, density, and strength of the refractory metals
  • Excellent cold working properties
  • Limited corrosion resistance when compared to tantalum

MAJOR APPLICATIONS

  • Superconductor wires for MRI applications
  • Alloying agents in certain steels
  • Chemical process equipment such as heat exchangers
  • Fabrication of artificial diamonds

COMMON ALLOYS

  • Niobium
  • Niobium 1% Zirconium
  • Niobium 7.5% Tantalum
  • Niobium 47% Titanium
  • Niobium 50% Titanium
  • Niobium 55% Titanium