Niobium plates are grey in colour. These are soft and highly ductile plates made form Niobium. The strength and conductivity of Niobium plates is high. Niobium plates do not show much electro-positivity. In comparison to zirconium niobium is much more compact in structure. The chemical properties of Niobium are similar to that of Tantalum. At high-temperatures the Niobium plates are highly reactive to non-metals. Also, these plates react to fluorine at room temperature. Niobium is widely used for less demanding applications, owing to the high availability and low costing.
At cryogenic temperatures Niobium plates turn into superconductors. These plates also have a critical temperature higher in comparison to any other superconductor. Super alloys are made using Niobium, as it gives stability to their structures. Applications like jet and rocket engines make use of Niobium added super alloys. Niobium is also used in applications like electronics, numismatics, and optics. Niobium is also used extensively in the Nuclear Industry. Cobalt, nickel and iron based super alloys make use of niobium in small quantities. Other high temperature applications like turbo chargers, gas turbines, combustion equipment and heat resistors make use of Niobium.
