Nickel is a yellowish, silvery-white malleable metal, a magnetic transition metal, which is mined globally in Russia, Canada, Australia, Cuba, New Caledonia and Indonesia. Nickel is not only the basic material for the manufacture of nickel alloy, but also the alloying element in other alloys (iron, copper, aluminum base alloys, etc.). At present, nickel and its alloys are used for special purpose parts, instrument manufacturing, machine manufacturing, rocket technology installation, atomic reactors, for the production of alkaline batteries, porous filters, catalysts, and parts and semi-products of anti-corrosion plating, nickel is regarded as an important strategic material, its resources have been attached importance to countries.
The application of nickel is determined by the corrosion resistance of nickel, adding nickel to the alloy can enhance the corrosion resistance of nickel. The field of stainless steel and alloy production is the largest application area of nickel. The use of nickel in the alloy: Monel high-strength corrosion-resistant nickel-cu-ferro manganese alloy (Ni, Cu, Fe, Mn) is widely used in the field of chemical equipment, shipbuilding industry, and is also used in the manufacture of settling tanks and covers; About two-thirds of the world's nickel is used to produce stainless steel, so the stainless steel industry ranks first in the impact of nickel consumption. At present, the consumption of nickel in the world's non-ferrous metals is second only to copper, aluminum, lead and zinc, ranking fifth in non-ferrous metals.