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Hafnium

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Hafnium Bar and Wire
Material:Pure Hafnium, Hf Alloys
Appearance:Silvery metal
Standard:ASTM B776
Sizes:Diameter customized
Density:13.3 g/cm3
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Hafnium Sheet
Material:Pure Hafnium, Hf Alloys
Appearance:Silvery metal
Standard:ASTM B776
Sizes:Diameter customized
Density:13.3 g/cm3
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Hafnium Powder
Material:Hafnium Powder
Appearance:Dark Gray Powder
Standard:ASTM B776
Sizes:Diameter customized
Purity:> 99%
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Definition of Hafnium

Hafnium is a tetravalent transition metal with atomic number 72 and represented with the symbol Hf in the Periodic Table. Hf was named after the city in which it was discovered, Copenhagen whose Latin name is Hafnia. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Hafnium is used in filaments and electrodes. Some semiconductor fabrication processes use its oxide for integrated circuits at 45 nanometers and smaller feature lengths. Some superalloys used for special applications contain hafnium in combination with niobium, titanium, or tungsten. Hafnium's large neutron capture cross section makes it a good material for neutron absorption in control rods in nuclear power plants, but at the same time requires that it be removed from the neutron-transparent corrosion-resistant zirconium alloys used in nuclear reactors.

Benefits of Hafnium

Hafnium wires boast excellent resistance to oxidation, great thermal and electrical conductivity, and low electron emission energy. These qualities make them ideal candidates for plasma emitter electrodes, surpassing other materials like copper. Hafnium, in particular, outperforms Zirconium, offering superior cutting abilities and a longer lifespan.
Hafnium is used in control rods in nuclear reactors, as an alloying agent in superalloys and as a getter for vacuum tubes. Some semiconductor fabrication processes use its oxide for integrated circuits at 45 nm and smaller feature lengths. Some superalloys used for special applications contain hafnium in combination with niobium, titanium, or tungsten.

Applications of Hafnium

● Hafnium has a unique property of capturing neutrons. Hence it is used in the control rods of reactors as well as nuclear submarines
● Its compounds are used in the ceramic and alloy industries as they have higher melting points.
● It is widely utilized in the microprocessors as they are involved in the reduction of leakage current.
● It is also used in incandescent and gas-filled lamps.
● This metal serves as an electrode in the process of plasma cutting as it gives out electrons

Physical Properties of Hafnium

● Hafnium is a shiny and silvery metal exhibiting ductile features.
● It is usually resistant to corrosion and exhibits similar chemical properties to that of zirconium. This similarity is because of the presence of valence electrons which are same and that of the same group.
● The impurities present in the zirconium highly affects the hafnium metal. Hence both of them are considered to be the most inseparable.
● When reacted with water, a thin film of a protective layer is formed on the metal which shows the occurrence of corrosion.
● There is no effect of acids on the metal, but still, when ignited in the presence of oxygen, the metal produces oxides. This metal is highly resistant to some of the concentrated alkalis.
● Around 5.8 ppm of the upper layer of the earth's crust constitutes this metal. This element does not exist freely in the environment.

Chemical Properties of Hafnium

Hafnium reacts in the air to form a protective film that inhibits further corrosion. Acids do not readily attack this element, but it can be burnt in the air or oxidized with halogens. Similar to its sister metal, zirconium, finely divided hafnium can combust spontaneously in the air, and is therefore very resistant to concentrated alkali.

The chemistry of zirconium and hafnium is similar, where the two cannot be separated based on different chemical reactions.

The solubility in solvents and the melting and boiling points of the compounds are the primary differences in these twin elements' chemistry.

4 Uses of Hafnium

Hafnium is a lustrous silver-gray transition metal, with a density of 13.31g / cm³. Hafnium has the properties of high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, easy processing, rapid heat absorption, and heat release, and is widely used in industrial production and our daily life.

Uses of hafnium in the field of electronic materials
Since hafnium emits electrons easily, it can be used as a cathode for X-Ray tubes. In addition, alloys of hafnium and tungsten or molybdenum are also used as electrodes for high-voltage discharge tubes.

Uses of hafnium in the field of chemistry
Hafnium can be used as a getter for many inflation systems. The hafnium getter can remove unnecessary gases such as oxygen and nitrogen present in the system. In addition, hafnium has strong anti-volatility and is often used as an additive for hydraulic oil to prevent the volatilization of hydraulic oil during high-risk operations.

Uses of hafnium in the atomic energy industry
Hafnium metal has excellent welding performance, processing performance, high-temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance, so it has become an important material in the atomic energy industry. Hafnium has a large thermal neutron capture cross-section and is an ideal neutron absorber. It can be used as a control rod and protection device for atomic reactors.

Uses of hafnium in the field of alloy materials
Hafnium has the characteristics of ductility, oxidation resistance, and high-temperature resistance. Therefore, hafnium is also a good alloy material and is used in many alloys. For example, a hafnium-niobium alloy containing 10% hafnium can be used as a rocket nozzle, while a tantalum-tungsten alloy containing 2% hafnium has high creep strength and can be used as a protective material for a spacecraft.
In addition, hafnium can also be used in tungsten wire manufacturing. Adding element hafnium to tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum alloys can produce carbide alloys and heat-resistant alloys. For example, hafnium and carbon compound hafnium carbide (HFC) can be used as cemented carbide additives due to their high hardness and melting point. 4TaCHfC has a melting point of about 4215ºC, which is the compound with the highest melting point among known materials.

What Are Some Interesting Facts About Hafnium?

Fresh, pure hafnium is a metal with a bright, silvery luster. However, hafnium oxidizes to form a beautiful rainbow-colored surface effect.

Hafnium is not found free in nature. Instead, it forms compounds and alloys. Because the two metals share similar occurrence and properties, hafnium is extremely difficult to separate from zirconium. Most hafnium metal has some degree of zirconium contamination. Although hafnium is found with ores (mainly zircon and baddeleyite), it is not as reactive as most transition metals.

When hafnium is powdered, the increased surface area improves its reactivity. Powdered hafnium readily ignites and may explode.

Hafnium finds use as an alloying agent for iron, titanium, niobium, and tantalum. It is found in integrated circuits, vacuum tubes, and incandescent lamps. Hafnium is used in nuclear reactors, mainly as nuclear control rods because hafnium is an exceptionally powerful neutron absorber. This is one significant difference between hafnium and its sister element zirconium -- zirconium is essentially transparent to neutrons.

Hafnium in its pure form is not particularly toxic, but it does represent a health hazard, particularly if inhaled. Hafnium compounds should be handled with care, as should any transition metal compound because the ionic forms can be dangerous. Only limited testing has been done on the effect of hafnium compounds in animals. All that is really known is that hafnium usually exhibits a valence of 4.

Hafnium is found in the gemstones zircon and garnet. Hafnium in garnet may be used as a geochronometer, which means it can be used to date metamorphic geological events.

What State of Matter Is Hafnium Commonly Found In?

Classification:	Hafnium is a transition metal
State:	Solid
Melting point:	2230 oC, 2503 K
Boiling point:	4600 oC, 4873 K
Electrons:	72

Is Hafnium Stable or Unstable?

Natural hafnium (72Hf) consists of five observationally stable isotopes (176Hf, 177Hf, 178Hf, 179Hf, and 180Hf) and one very long-lived radioisotope, 174Hf, with a half-life of 7.0×1016 years.

In addition, there are 34 known synthetic radioisotopes, the most stable of which is 182Hf with a half-life of 8.9×106 years. This extinct radionuclide is used in hafnium–tungsten dating to study the chronology of planetary differentiation.

No other radioisotope has a half-life over 1.87 years. Most isotopes have half-lives under 1 minute. There are also at least 27 nuclear isomers, the most stable of which is 178m2Hf with a half-life of 31 years. All isotopes of hafnium are either radioactive or observationally stable, meaning that they are predicted to be radioactive but no actual decay has been observed.

Is Hafnium Used in Rockets?

In high-temperature alloys and polycrystalline nickel-based superalloys, hafnium's high melting point - 2,233°C (4,051°F) - helps strengthen grain boundaries, thus considerably improving both high-temperature creep and tensile strength. In addition, with its high affinity for carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, the metal also provides strengthening through second-phase particle dispersion.

One of the most common uses of hafnium is as one of the alloys in the superalloy group used in the turbine blades and vanes found in the "hot end" of jet engines, i.e., in environments with very high temperatures and pressure and high stress. Such superalloys can contain 1-2 percent hafnium.

Hafnium can also to be found in a number of other alloys, such as tantalum-based T111 (Ta-8%W-2%Hf); tantalum/tungsten-based T222 (Ta-10%W-2.5%Hf-0.01%C) and molybdenum-based MHC, or molybdenum-hafnium-carbide, which breaks into 1.2%Hf-0.1%C (the rest moly). In addition, it can be found in a number of niobium-based alloys: C-103 (10% Hf-1%Ti-1%Zr); C-129Y (10%W-10%Hf-0.7%Y) and WC-3015 (30%Hf-15%W-1.5%Zr).

Among other applications, niobium-based alloys containing hafnium have been used as coatings for cutting tools, while C-103 and hafnium-tantalum-carbide have been used in the fabrication of rocket engine thruster nozzles.

In both alloys containing tantalum and molybdenum, as well as in binary compounds, hafnium is also an excellent refractory material. With a melting point of over 3,890°C, hafnium carbide (HfC) makes one of the most refractory binary materials around. And with a melting point of some 3,310°C, hafnium nitride is the most refractory of all known metal nitrides.

Hafnium is used for nuclear reactor control rods because of its ability to absorb neutrons and its good mechanical and corrosion resistance qualities. It is also used in gas filled and incandescent lights. Hafnium alloys with several other metals, such as iron, niobium, tantalum and titanium. Hafnium-niobium alloys, for example, are heat resistant and are used in aerospace applications, such as space rocket engines.

Our Factory

KOBO is well equipped with Hi-tech equipments, among them one is VAR(Vacuum Arc Remelt) melting furnace, a standard in industry, can allow multiple melting, it is economical to produce titanium which is for Industrial, Medical, Racing and Aerospace applications.

Another is EB( Electron Beam) melting furnace,Electron beam melting is distinguished by its superior refining capacity. Thus it is ideal for remelting and refining of metals and alloys under high vacuum in water cooled, ceramic free copper molds. It also plays an important role in manufacturing of high-pure sputtering target materials and alloys for the electronic industry.

We are fully equipped to supply a full range of refractory and reactive metals (titanium, niobium, tantalum, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, hafnium, zirconium,nickel etc) and their alloys. Our goal is to be a global metal resource solver.

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Ultimate FAQ Guide to Hafnium

Q: What is the meaning of the word hafnium?

A: Hafnium is a chemical element; it has symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Hafnium is used in filaments and electrodes. Some semiconductor fabrication processes use its oxide for integrated circuits at 45 nanometers and smaller feature lengths. Some superalloys used for special applications contain hafnium in combination with niobium, titanium, or tungsten.

Q: Is hafnium rare or common?

A: Hafnium, with a content of 4,9 ppm in the continental crust, is an element that is not very common on earth. In terms of frequency, it is comparable to the elements bromine and cesium and more common than the long-known gold and mercury. Hafnium does not occur naturally or in its own minerals. Zirconium minerals such as zircon and baddeleyite, on the other hand, always contain hafnium; the amount of hafnium is usually 2% of the zirconium content (1-5 percent by weight of hafnium).

Q: What products contain hafnium?

A: Hafnium can be found in a number of food items such as common hazelnut, almond, cucumber, and spinach, which makes hafnium a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Hafnium can be found primarily in saliva and urine. Hafnium is a chemical element with symbol Hf and atomic number 72.

Q: Is hafnium stable or unstable?

A: Most isotopes have half-lives under 1 minute. There are also at least 27 nuclear isomers, the most stable of which is 178m2Hf with a half-life of 31 years. All isotopes of hafnium are either radioactive or observationally stable, meaning that they are predicted to be radioactive but no actual decay has been observed.

Q: Is hafnium a rare earth metal?

A: Using these facts about atomic numbers from X-ray crystallography, Moseley also showed that hafnium (element 72) would not be a rare-earth element. Hafnium is an element that lies in the periodic table immediately below zirconium, and hafnium and zirconium have very similar chemical and physical properties.

Q: Is hafnium used in rockets?

A: Hafnium is used for nuclear reactor control rods because of its ability to absorb neutrons and its good mechanical and corrosion resistance qualities. It is also used in gas filled and incandescent lights. Hafnium alloys with several other metals, such as iron, niobium, tantalum and titanium. Hafnium-niobium alloys, for example, are heat resistant and are used in aerospace applications, such as space rocket engines.

Q: Is hafnium bad for the environment?

A: Hafnium Production and Refining. Massive hafnium metal is relatively safe to work and use in ordinary environments and is relatively inert toward human tissue. The metal is not chemically harmful to the environment. Metallic hafnium in powder form can ignite spontaneously.

Q: Can hafnium burn?

A: Possibility of Hazardous Reactions: Hafnium fines will burn when exposed to an ignition source. Dust dispersed in air may be explosive. Keep fine turnings completely dry, or very wet. If wet, the water content should be more than 25% by weight for maximum safety in handling.

Q: Is hafnium used in bombs?

A: To be fair, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in its official briefings to Congress about hafnium, described the power of a 2,000 pound bomb in the package of a 50 pound bomb. But even that is impractical, and, according to the experts, simply not feasible.

Q: What are some interesting facts about hafnium?

A: Hafnium metal is ductile and very resistant to corrosion because an oxide film forms on its surface. It is relatively unreactive with acids and bases and not radioactive. There are over 35 isotopes of hafnium with five stable isotopes and many lab-created isotopes.

Q: Is hafnium toxic to humans?

A: Hafnium compounds are encountered rarely by most people. Hafnium metal does not normally cause problems but all hafnium compounds should be regarded as toxic although initial evidence would appear to suggest the danger is limited. The metal dust presents a fire and explosion hazard.

Q: What is the uses of hafnium?

A: Hafnium is dispersed in Earth's crust to the extent of three parts per million and is invariably found in zirconium minerals up to a few percent compared with zirconium. A shiny, silvery metal that resists corrosion and can be drawn into wires. Hafnium is a good absorber of neutrons and is used to make control rods, such as those found in nuclear submarines. It also has a very high melting point and because of this is used in plasma welding torches.

Q: Is hafnium radioactive?

A: Hafnium Element Facts. It was one of two non-radioactive elements believed to exist, but not verified. The element name honors the city of its discovery (Hafnia is the old name for Copenhagen).

Q: Is hafnium endangered?

A: Hafnium, in every sense, is an endangered element. Most of the non-chemists may not be aware of its existence. However, hafnium has a number of important uses. One of the important applications of hafnium is in the form of superalloys which are used in jet engines, as liquid rocket thruster nozzles, and as control rods in nuclear reactors.

Q: Is hafnium shiny?

A: Hafnium is a shiny and silvery metal that exhibits ductile features. Usually, it is resistant to corrosion and exhibits similar chemical properties as zirconium. This similarity is due to valence electrons' presence, which is the same and that of the same group.

Q: Is hafnium shiny or dull?

A: Hafnium is a shiny, silvery, ductile metal that is corrosion-resistant and chemically similar to zirconium in that they have the same number of valence electrons and are in the same group.

Q: Can hafnium rust?

A: Hafnium is a lustrous metal with the chemical symbol Hf. When exposed to air, it forms a durable oxide film which is highly resistant to corrosion. Hafnium is almost always found together with the element zirconium (Zr). Hafnium is a ductile metal and as a fine powder is highly flammable. It is associated with zirconium-containing minerals such as zircon, or more rarely as the mineral hafnon.

Q: What color is hafnium?

A: Hafnium (Hf) is a silvery coloured metal that has the atomic number 72 in the periodic table. It is a Transition metal in Group 4. It has the symbol Hf. It is used in nuclear control rods to absorb neutrons and is corrosion resistant. Hafnium is not found free in nature but mostly in zirconium ores. It is a solid metal at room temperature with a melting point of 2233°c and a boiling point of 4602°c.

Q: Why is hafnium running out?

A: The silvery grey transition metal hafnium is highly threatened, and may just disappear. Hafnium and zirconium are found together, and the method to separate them is difficult because of their chemical similarity. Hafnium production is very low, compared to its increasing use in nuclear reactors and chemical industry.

Q: Can you touch hafnium?

A: Hafnium metal has no known toxicity. The metal is completely insoluble in water, saline solutions or body chemicals. Exposure to hafnium can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and eye or skin contact. Overexposure to hafnium and its compounds may cause mild irritation of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.

As one of the leading hafnium suppliers in China, we warmly welcome you to buy high-grade hafnium in stock here from our factory. All our products are with high quality and low price. Contact us for quotation.

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