Niobium

Niobium is a gray transition metal that can be drawn into wire. A small addition of niobium can make steel stronger and tougher, helping it withstand demanding use in cars and pipelines. Niobium-titanium alloys have another remarkable property: when cooled to extremely low temperatures, they carry electric current without electrical resistance. These superconducting wires create powerful magnets in MRI scanners and particle accelerators. In nature, niobium is bound to other elements in minerals such as pyrochlore and columbite, often alongside tantalum. Most supplies come from Brazil. Producers concentrate the ores and separate niobium compounds from impurities, then chemically convert them into metal. Much is made as ferroniobium, an iron-niobium alloy added to steel.