Niobium Products

The main preparation methods of niobium metal include carbothermal reduction method to produce niobium, thermite reduction method to produce niobium (see aluminium thermite reduction method to produce iron niobium) and sodium thermal reduction method to produce niobium powder, followed by molten salt electrolysis method to produce niobium powder and halide niobium reduction method. The production of niobium by carbothermal reduction of niobium pentoxide is the most widely used method in industry. Thermite reduction method does not need to be carried out under vacuum condition, the equipment is simple and easy to operate, but the product purity is low, the aluminum content of niobium is high, and it needs to be further purified by electron beam melting to remove impurities. Niobium is rarely used to make capacitors, so sodium reduction is rarely used. Different from tantalum, niobium has two electrolysis methods: molten salt electrolysis and aqueous electrolysis, but aqueous electrolysis has not been applied in industrial production. Using niobium pentachloride as raw material, the reducing agents of niobium are hydrogen, sodium and magnesium (see niobium tantalum chloride separation). Niobium pentachloride hydrogen reduction products of high purity, mostly used in metallic materials or nonmetallic materials for niobium coating.