What is Hafnium used for?
Hafnium is used in filaments, electrodes, and, more recently in integrated circuits. Its large neutron capture rate makes hafnium a good material for neutron absorption in control rods in nuclear power plants. Some superalloys used for special applications contain hafnium in combination with niobium, titanium, or tungsten. Hafnium is a shiny, silvery, ductile metal that is corrosion-resistant and chemically similar to zirconium.[18] The physical properties of hafnium metal samples are markedly affected by zirconium impurities, as these two elements are among the most difficult ones to separate because of their chemical similarity. A notable physical difference between them is their density (zirconium being about half as dense as hafnium). The most notable physical property of hafnium is its high thermal neutron-capture cross-section, and the nuclei of several hafnium isotopes can each absorb multiple neutrons.Hafnium does react in air to form a protective film that prevents any further
