NIOBIUM OXIDE CAPACITOR POWDER (NbO)

The economical and safe alternative for capacitors

One of the transition metals, niobium is a soft, gray, ductile element. Primarily obtained from pyrochlore, it can also be extracted from columbite-tantalite ores. Its physical and chemical characteristics are similar to those of tantalum.

Improved long-term stability with less material required

The raw materials market for niobium is more diversified than that for tantalum, which results in a more stable, less expensive supply situation. The chemical characteristics of niobium monoxide make it a suitable material for capacitors: it is a ceramic material that exhibits a lower tendency to ignite than tantalum due to a higher degree of oxidation stability. For this reason, niobium monoxide capacitors have better long-term stability than tantalum manganese dioxide capacitors, for example, and are suitable for portable applications, among others. In addition, niobium monoxide has the same volume-specific capacitance values (CV/cm³), but is only half as heavy as tantalum, which means that less raw material is required for the same performance.

Because less material is required and due to their high level of performance and safety, niobium monoxide capacitors offer a high quality, less expensive alternative to ceramic and aluminum capacitors.