Hafnium

Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery grey, 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 nanometres 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.

Products:

• Ingots
• Rods

General use of zirconium alloys:

• nuclear industry;
• metallurgy;
• electronics and optics.

Global Demand: estimated: average CAGR is 7%+ per year.