About hafnium
Global demand for hafnium is on the rise, as its unique properties make hafnium important for a diverse range of applications in key future industries. Hafnium metal is currently highly desired for certain aerospace and industrial alloys, while hafnium oxide is emerging as a material of choice in semiconductors and data storage devices.
The Dubbo Project has the capability to become an alternative global source of hafnium .
Product information: hafnium
Hafnium will be produced and supplied as hafnium chloride, hafnium dioxide powders and hafnium metals at a number of different product specifications. Exact chemistries and particle properties will be designed based on market demand and offtake agreements, with ASM becoming a reliable independent supplier into the global semiconductor market.
Uses for hafnium
High-temperature turbines
Nickel-based superalloys containing hafnium are used in jet engines and land-based industrial gas turbines for power generation, owing to their high strength and stability when operating at very high temperatures. This accounts for nearly 60% of current world hafnium demand.
Aerospace
Owing to the high-temperature performance of hafnium and its compounds, the aerospace industry is using hafnium for more than jet engines. A niobium-based alloy containing 10% hafnium is being used for rocket engine nozzles, while hafnium-based ultra-high-temperature ceramics are used for thermal shielding.
Plasma cutting inserts
The high melting point of hafnium and resistance to degradation in oxygen-rich environments and high temperatures makes it ideal for use in plasma cutting tips and welding torches.
Plastics manufacturing
Commodity thermoplastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene are made using hafnium-based catalysts.
Microelectronics and communications
Hafnium in thin film oxide form is used as high-k gate insulators on microchips for miniaturisation and improved efficiency, while also emerging as a new breed of permanent memory. Hafnium oxide also has application as a surface coating for optical fibres and dielectric mirrors.
Hafnium in future industries
Many future industries will rely on hafnium in a wide range of applications. Some of these include thermoelectric materials for converting heat into electricity in vehicles, radiative cooling materials to replace air conditioning in buildings, and hafnium oxide nanoparticles in radiation oncology to destroy cancer cells.