Vanadium is one of the transition metals on the periodic table, rarely existing naturally in its native state. Vanadium can often be found in deposits of coal, petroleum and phosphate rock and can also be found in a combined state in nearly 65 different minerals including Magnetite, Vanadinite, Carnotite and Patronite.
What is Vanadium?
Vanadium is a medium-hard, silvery-grey metal that is available in various forms, including foil, powder, sheet and wire. Adding just a small amount of Vanadium to Steel or Aluminium creates ultra-high-strength and super-light alloys – therefore, Vanadium has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact across many industries and is often hailed as the world’s most important metal.
Properties of Vanadium
Vanadium has many desirable properties and is an extremely valuable material in the manufacturing industry. Some of its properties include:
- Good structural strength
- Malleability
- Ductility
- Natural resistance to corrosion
- Good resistance against phosphoric, hydrochloric or dilute sulfuric acids as well as alkalis and saltwater
- Highly colourful due to its varied oxidation states
Vanadium Applications
Vanadium is a critical alloying element in various aspects of transportation, including automotive, aviation and aerospace. For example, Vanadium foil is used in cladding Titanium to Steel in order to make airframes. In addition, Vanadium-Titanium alloys have the best strength-to-weight ratio of any engineered material on earth.
The most common use of Vanadium is for creating specialist Steel alloys. It is alloyed with Steel and Iron to make high-speed tool Steel, high-strength low-alloy Steel, spring Steel and wear-resistant cast Iron. Vanadium-Steel alloys are used to make tough tools and components such as circular saws, drill bits, car gears, axles, armour plates, springs, cutting tools, etc.
In addition, Vanadium has played a crucial role in Lithium-based battery technologies for electric and hybrid vehicles. The unique properties of Vanadium enable production of a more energy-efficient and faster rechargeable automotive battery, compared to the existing Lithium-based chemistries. A Vanadium-based battery, known as Vanadium Flow Battery (VFB), is regarded as one of the leading energy storage systems. This is because it is the only battery technology that can be adapted to meet almost every energy storage and power demand.
Inorganic compounds of Vanadium have multiple commercial uses; for example, Vanadium Pentoxide is used as a mordant, a catalyst in chemical reactions and in the manufacturing of ceramics. In general, inorganic and organic compounds are often used as catalysts, pigments, membrane materials, photosensitive materials, hydrogen storage materials, battery materials, and superconducting materials, making Vanadium a vital element in numerous applications.
For more information on Vanadium or to discuss purchase options, please contact the Goodfellow team via info@goodfellow.com
