Technological metals: applications

Antimony

• Antimony granules
• antimony bars

Areas of application

Antimony is mainly used as an alloying element to harden other soft metals such as lead, copper, tin, or zinc. High-purity antimony is also used in semiconductors. Another area of application is the production of flame retardants. Paints, textiles, and plastics with flame-retardant or fire-retardant properties are essential in the automotive and electrical engineering industries, among others.

Bismuth

• Bismuth pellets and bars
• Metal needles

Areas of application

Bismuth is used in various pharmaceutical and electronic applications and in low-melting alloys. The latter can be used in sprinkler systems, fuel tanks, steam boilers, and safety valves.

Boron

• Boron powder
• Nanobor

Areas of application

Amorphous boron has been used as a raw material for many chemical products. It is processed into solid fuels and igniters and added to welding and soldering pastes. In addition, the automotive industry requires it as a pyrotechnic component for igniters and gas generators in airbags. Boron is also used as an alloying element. Furthermore, it is an integral part of neodymium-iron-boron magnets (NdFeB magnets), which are characterized by the highest adhesive forces with the smallest volume. They are used in motors, loudspeakers, wind turbines, and cars.

Due to its high hardness, boron is processed into high-performance ceramics. In the form of nanoparticles, boron is used in the production of superconductors for high-temperature applications. After diamonds, boron carbide is considered one of the hardest materials in the world and is highly resistant to abrasion. It is therefore an ideal material in the fields of mechanical engineering, metallurgy, the automotive industry, aviation, and ballistics, where it is used in the form of boron carbide plates. In industrial applications, boron carbide also serves as an abrasive and polishing agent in the processing of very hard materials. Boron nitride is also used as an abrasive.

Cadmium

• Cadmium foils, sheets

Areas of application

The most important consumer of cadmium is the battery sector. Because the metal has good neutron absorption properties, it is also used as an intermediate product in nuclear reactors as a shielding material. Other important applications include the production of color pigments, alloys, anti-corrosion coatings, and PVC stabilizers. A future market is the use of cadmium together with tellurium in photovoltaic systems.

Chromium

• Chromium powder and granules of various grain sizes

Areas of application

Due to its properties, chromium is mainly used for surface coatings and in the production of corrosion-resistant alloys. In addition, the manufacturing industry needs it for the production of electronic components. Chromium is also used in high-temperature fuel cells for car catalytic converters.

Cobalt

• Cathodes, lumps, pieces of cobalt

Areas of application

Due to its chemical properties, cobalt is an important alloying metal for corrosion- and heat-resistant carbides in turbines and engines, in chemical plants, and for diamond tools. Cobalt can also be used as a component of magnetic alloys in combination with samarium or aluminum and nickel. In addition, this metal is needed for the production of high-performance lithium-ion electrical energy storage devices.

German

• Germanium metal in the form of granules and bars with a purity of 99.99% to 99.9999% (50 ohms)
• Germanium oxide

·     Areas of application

Germanium is one of the most important basic materials for the production of optical fibers. As an optical fiber, it plays a key role in the global expansion of fiber optic networks and 5G cellular networks. Another important application is infrared optics, where crystalline germanium is used to manufacture infrared-transmitting glasses and lenses. Specific examples of applications include night vision devices and thermal imaging cameras.

Another important consumer is the plastics industry, which uses the raw material in the form of oxide as a polymerization catalyst. Another application of the metal is in semiconductors in electronics and photovoltaics.

Gal

• Metallic gal
• Gallium oxide
• Gallium chloride
• Gallium nitrate

Areas of application

Its special properties make gallium indispensable in the semiconductor industry. In the form of gallium arsenide, this technological metal is used in the production of high-performance microprocessors. Another significant area of application is optoelectronics, which requires gallium for the production of LEDs, light-emitting diodes, and laser diodes. In addition, it is used in industry for thin-film transistors based on IGZO (indium, gallium, and zinc oxide). These are increasingly replacing amorphous silicon as a coating material for LCD screens. Gallium is alloyed with various metals. In the form of a eutectic gallium-indium-tin alloy, it replaces mercury in clinical thermometers. Alloys of gallium with iron, yttrium, lithium, magnesium, and gadolinium give the material magnetic properties.

Hafnium

• Hafnium metal: rods, pieces, sponges, bars, round rods, wires, sheets
• Hafnium hydroxide powder
• Hafnium oxide

Areas of application

Historically, hafnium has been used in nuclear power plants (control rods). However, the main market applications for this metal are in so-called superalloys in combination with niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. These particularly stable, refractory, and heat-resistant materials are used in the aerospace industry and for the production of gas turbines. In addition, metal technology is used in semiconductor technology (computer chips) and high-frequency technology.

Ind

• Ind metallic
• Indium nitrate
• Indium oxide
• Sheets, rods, granules, and bars

Areas of application

The main area of application is thin-film technology, where indium tin oxide (ITO) is used as a conductive surface coating. It can be found on many everyday items such as smartphones, monitors, notebooks, and televisions. In addition, indium is an essential material for photovoltaics and is increasingly used in the production of CIGS thin-film solar modules. In combination with gallium and zinc, indium forms the semiconductor material IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide), which is required, among other things, as thin-film transistors for flat OLED screens. In addition, this material is used in the production of high-purity low-temperature alloys and solders, including for mercury-free thermometers, but also for the dental and jewelry industries.

Manganese

• Powder
• Metallic manganese

Areas of application

Technological metal is mainly processed as an alloying component of steel (ferromanganese). It increases wear resistance and tensile strength. In addition, it is a deoxidizing agent and serves as a phosphorus activator. As with cobalt, the market of the future is lithium-ion batteries, which are needed for electric cars and electricity storage in renewable energy sources.

Molybdenum

• Molybdenum pieces, metal briquettes, lumps, foils, and sheets

Areas of application

Due to its properties, molybdenum increases the strength, corrosion resistance, and heat resistance of alloys. Therefore, this metal is one of the most important raw materials in steel refining. Molybdenum is also added to the production of tools for construction, cutting, and rolling. In addition, the electrical industry needs metal for the production of halogen lamps, flat-screen TVs, and solar cells. Its use in the production of semiconductors—as a substitute for silicon—is emerging as a future market.

Niobium

• Niobium bars, pieces, foils, and sheets

Areas of application

The industry processes niobium with iron (ferroniobium) or nickel (nickel-niobium) in stainless steel alloys to meet the highest thermal and mechanical requirements for gas turbines and pipeline construction. Niobium alloys with titanium are superconductive and therefore suitable for cables and magnets in rocket and satellite construction. In addition, niobium is a component of alloys with non-metals such as zirconium. Due to its low weight, niobium is used in the automotive sector to reduce fuel consumption. Thanks to its high biocompatibility, this metal is also used as a material for dental implants.

Ren

• Rhenium powder
• Renu pellets
• Ammonium peroxydisulfate

Areas of application

Rhenium is used in nickel-based superalloys or with molybdenum and tungsten in rocket and aircraft engines or stationary gas turbines. It is also used as a catalyst in the chemical and petrochemical industries, and is processed into technical spray powders for corrosion-resistant coatings. As an ideal metal for high-temperature applications, rhenium is essential for the production of unleaded gasoline and thermocouples.

Rubid

• Rubidium chloride
• Rubidium carbonate
• Rubidium nitrate

Areas of application

Rubidium has only a few areas of application. In its metallic form, it is used as a getter material in vacuum tubes and high-performance lamps. It is also used as a cathode coating in photocells.

Selenium

• Selenium powder
• Selenium pellets
• Selenium granules 

Areas of application

Selenium is used in the glass industry to decolorize waste glass, in the pigment and battery industries, in the production of anti-dandruff shampoo, and in chemical compounds such as zinc selenate or sodium selenate. Selenium is also used in the solar sector in photovoltaic systems (CIGS and CIS).

Silicon

• Silicon powder
• Silicon nitride

Areas of application

As a metallic powder, silicon is essential in pyrotechnic compounds used in mining. Silicon nitride is a high-performance ceramic suitable for extreme thermal and mechanical stresses. Examples of applications include dies and cutting tools, ball bearings, and components of combustion engines and drive units. It is also used in melting, soldering, and welding processes. The aluminum and steel industries process silicon into alloys. As a semiconductor with electrical properties that can be precisely controlled, it is an essential component of transistors. In addition, the electronics industry requires high-purity polysilicon as a raw material for the production of solar cells. Silicon oxide and silicate are used in the production of glass, glazes, and enamels, as well as cement and porcelain.

Tantalum

• Tantalum pieces, sheets, and semi-finished products

Areas of application

In alloys, tantalum provides significant hardness. It is also used to refine steel with high strength and heat resistance. In addition, this technological metal is used in the production of electrical microcapacitors and nickel-based superalloys. Tantalum is also used for spraying in coating processes. Since the human body tolerates this technological metal very well, it is also used to make surgical instruments and medical implants.

Tellur

• Tellurium powder and bars

Areas of application

The main application of high-purity tellurium is the production of cadmium telluride for use in photovoltaic systems. The technological metal is therefore an essential raw material for the energy transition. Tellurium is also used as an alloying additive in copper, lead, steel, and aluminum alloys, increasing their corrosion resistance. Together with bismuth, it is used in thermocouples. Finally, tellurium is also needed for rubber vulcanization.

Tin

• Bars, pellets
• Tin powder

Areas of application

One of the main uses of tin is in the production of solders, which are used to assemble electronic components. Food cans are made of tin-plated steel because the tin coating protects them from corrosion. Tin is also widely used in alloys, such as in combination with copper to produce bronze. It plays a central role in low-melting alloys, such as indium tin oxide, which is used as an electrical conductor in display devices, especially LCD screens. Tin is also playing an increasingly important role in the chemical industry, where it is used, among other things, to produce stabilizers for PVC materials.

Titanium

• Titanium metal powder of various purity and granulation
• Titanium hydroxide powder of various purity and granulation
• Titanium sponge
• Titanium semi-finished products

Areas of application

In pyrotechnic compounds, titanium hydroxide and titanium metal powder are essential in the production of airbag initiators and in mining. In addition, titanium hydroxide serves as a foaming agent in the production of aluminum foam. Titanium also plays a significant role in the production of AlNiCo magnets. Used as an alloying additive in addition to copper and cobalt, it improves magnetic properties. In addition, titanium is also used in steel refining. Titanium-based alloys are lightweight and particularly resistant, which is why they are used in aircraft construction and aviation. In the semiconductor industry, titanium is used as a coating material.

Zirconium

• Zirconium metal powder of varying purity and granulation (dry or suspended in water or alcohol)
• Zirconium hydroxide powder of various purity and granulation
• Zirconium dioxide, monoclinic, of varying purity and granulation
• Zirconium nickel powder
• Zirconium semi-finished products and zirconium sponge
• Zirconium boride

Areas of application

In pyrotechnic compounds, zirconium is essential in the production of airbag initiators, in mining, and for controlled detonations. In addition, this technological metal is used in fuel elements for nuclear power plants. It increases the corrosion resistance of steel and is a component of superalloys for turbine construction. It is also ideal as an absorbing material in vacuum systems. Zirconium is required in the production of fireproof ceramics and dental alloys, as well as in paints and varnishes. Zirconium hydride is used as a foaming agent in the production of zinc foam.