China Develops High-Performance Niobium-Silicon Alloy for Extreme Applications

By on January 20th, 2025 in materials, news

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Tiangong space station [Source: SCMP]

Researchers in China have developed a new alloy that could affect metal additive manufacturing.

According to a recent story in the South China Morning Post, a new alloy of niobium and silicon has been developed that offers powerful properties that could be used in aerospace and other industries.

There are several key properties that make the alloy attractive:

  • Ability to withstand temperatures as high as 1700°C
  • Lighter than nickel or titanium alloys
  • Three times the compressive strength

According to the report, part of the material’s development took place on the Tiangong space station. South China Morning Post writes:

“For more than three years in the Tiangong space station, astronauts have been conducting a seemingly mundane experiment. It involves striking alloy particles that are suspended in a vacuum chamber with a laser and then recording the subtle changes that occur as the particles cool.

The experiment has been going on for so long that the equipment and samples have been replaced three times.”

Data from this experiment contributed to the development of the alloy on the ground, but it is not clear how.

There is no mention of additive manufacturing in the report, but a new alloy of this type might be used in a range of additive manufacturing equipment. In powder form, it could certainly be loaded into LPBF machines. It’s not clear if it could be used in wire form.

This alloy might permit some unusual applications. Turbine blades, for example, could be subjected to hotter working environments. Similarly, rocket engines might require fewer cooling channels.

We may see this alloy eventually make its way into AM operations.

Via South China Morning Post

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!