What was titanium first used for

Pure titanium oxide is relatively clear and is used to create titania, an artificial gemstone. Titanium tetrachloride TiCl 4 , another titanium compound, has been used to make smoke screens. A final bit of titanium trivia -- titanium is one of the few elements that will burn in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen. Estimated Crustal Abundance : 5. Number of Stable Isotopes : 5 View all isotope data. Electron Shell Configuration :. Usually, titanium dioxide likes to be in the anatase phase below F C , and transforms to the rutile phase at hotter temperatures.

By growing titanium dioxide crystal-by-crystal and lining them up on a template made of titanium trioxide, Narayan and his colleagues were able to set the material's phase as either rutile or anatase at room temperature, they reported in June in the journal Applied Physics Letters. In an even bigger leap, the researchers were able to integrate this titanium dioxide into computer chips.

As the sensor is part of the chip, the device can respond more rapidly and efficiently than if the sensor were separate and had to be hard-wired to the computing portion of the device. Getting the product to market will require manufacturing costs to come down, Narayan said, but the "tunable" titanium dioxide has other promise, as well. By zapping the material with high-powered laser pulses, researchers can create small defects, called oxygen vacancies, where the material is missing oxygen molecules.

The material can then be used to split water H2O by stealing the oxygen and leaving hydrogen, which can then be used to make hydrogen fuel. New manufacturing and engineering methods are expanding titanium's uses. The Office of Naval Research announced in that a new method of welding titanium would be used to produce a full-sized ship hull; the construction is a breakthrough, according to the Navy, because titanium is typically too expensive and difficult to manufacture for shipbuilding.

The new method, called friction stir welding, uses a rotating metal pin to partially melt the edges of two pieces of titanium together. In medicine, titanium implants are used to replace or stabilize broken bone. Tiny titanium implants are even used to improve hearing in people with some types of deafness. A screw-like titanium rod is drilled into the skull behind the ear and attached to an external sound-processing unit.

The external unit picks up sounds and transmits the vibration through the titanium implant to the inner ear, bypassing any problems in the middle ear. In , researchers announced the development of "Tifoam" a structure of polyurethane foam saturated with titanium powder.

Airbus A, capable of carrying passengers, weighs in at tonnes — tonnes of this is the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Add to collection. Go to full glossary Add 0 items to collection. Download 0 items. Twitter Pinterest Facebook Instagram. We offer customized solutions within our numerous capabilities:. Our skilled team is experienced with the complex processes designed to give you high-quality, cost-effective metal components while meeting all international standards, maintaining our status as a green manufacturer, and providing quality customer service for all your custom orders.

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History of Titanium and Its Applications.