19 Titanium Uses : Facts You Should Know

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Titanium (Ti) is a lustrous silvery-white colored transition metal that belongs to the 4th group of the periodic table with atomic number 22. Let us look at the uses of titanium.

Titanium, one of the strongest metals, is widely used in industries such as:

  • Aerospace and Marines
  • Welding and Glassmaking
  • Reagent and Catalyst
  • Jewelry
  • Architectural and Consumer goods
  • Waste storage

This article shall delve further into the applications of various titanium compounds and its alloys.

Aerospace and Marines

Titanium, for its high tensile strength and high crack resistance, is widely made use of in the aerospace and marine industries which are detailed below:

  • Spacecraft, and aircraft structural parts, engines, frames, landing gears, and exhaust ducts in helicopters.
  • In aviation engine applications for compressor blades, rotors, and hydraulic system components.
  • Heaters and chillers for salt water aquariums, diving knives, fishing line and leader.
  • Propeller shafts, and heat exchangers in desalination plants.

Welding and Glassmaking

The usage of titanium in the welding and glassmaking industry are discussed below:

  • Chemical and petrochemical industries use welded titanium pipe and process equipment (tanks, process vessels, valves) largely for corrosion resistance.
  • Wave soldering, sputtering targets, and ultrasonic welding
  • To create smoke screens as it fumes intensely in moist air

Reagent and Catalyst

The laboratory uses of titanium are listed as follows:

  • Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is a key intermediary in the TiO2 production process.
  • To make the Ziegler-Natta catalyst

Jewelry

The applications of titanium in the jewelry industry are listed below:

  • For designing jewelry due to its durability, such as titanium rings
  • Suitable for making watch casings
  • Gemstones, for instance star sapphires

Architectural and Consumer goods

Below mentioned are the uses of titanium in the architectural and commodity industry:

  • Employed in automobile applications (racing bikes and bicycles frames)
  • Sports equipment such as tennis rackets, football helmet grills, etc
  • Due to the metal’s striking color, it has occasionally been utilized in architecture as a sheathing material.

Waste Storage

The usage of titanium in waste treatment industry is limited however containers made from titanium have been proposed for long-term storage of nuclear waste. A titanium drip shield could potentially be put over various types of containers to increase their lifetime.

Titanium Dioxide Uses

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a naturally-occurring mineral (molar mass 79.866 g/mol). It appears as a white, opaque solid. It exists in many crystalline forms (anatase and rutile).

The uses of TiO2 in different industries are described below:

  • Paints and Pigments
  • Thin films and Coatings
  • Nanotechnology
  • Cosmetics and Food additive
  • Floor Coverings
  • Ceramics

Paints and Pigments

  • Used as a white color pigment in paints and enamels to provide an opaque coverage
  • As an opacifier pigment to add whiteness to items like paints, plastics, papers, inks, soaps, and toothpaste.
  • Used in oil paints as a filler or to enhance its consistency.

Thin Films and Coatings

  • The refractive index and color of TiO2, when deposited as a thin film, make it an ideal reflective optical coating for dielectric mirrors.
  • Utilized as an efficient chemical coating to protect painted surfaces from UV (ultraviolet rays) degradation.

Nanotechnology

  • Frequently utilized and well known in nanoscience and making nano products.
  • Anatase (a crystalline form of TiO2) can be transformed into nanowires and non-carbon nanotubes.

Cosmetics and Food Additives

  • Nano-scaled TiO2 (strong UV light absorber)blocks both UV-A and UV-B rays and thus added to sunscreens and other skin-care products.
  • Used as a thickener in many cosmetic products
  • Added as a food colorant in confectioneries, baking, sweets, desserts, sauces and many other food items.

Floor Coverings

Floorboards and other forms of flooring can be treated with TiO2 to enhance their lustre and increase their toughness against the abrasive action of foot activity.

Ceramics

Used as an opacifier in glazing ceramics and promotes crystal formation.

Ferro Titanium Uses

Ferrotitanium is a durable ferroalloy, composed of iron and titanium with 10-20% iron and 45-75% titanium, sometimes shows a trace of carbon and is formed by melting or reduction.

The industrial applications of ferrotitanium are discussed below:

  • Steelmaking
  • Aircraft
  • Paints

Steelmaking

  • Used in steel and stainless steel processing units to produce low-carbon steel
  • As a cleanser for iron and steel
  • Utilized in steel production as a deoxidizing and degassing component.
  • As additives in the manufacture of  flux-cored wire and special steel with finer grain textures

Aircraft

Useful in commercial as well as military aircrafts

Paints

Found in products such as varnishes, surface coatings, paints and lacquers.

Buff Titanium Uses

Buff Titanium is a warm whitish, yellow-grey inorganic pigment derived from titanium dioxide and iron oxide. It has non-staining qualities and is semi-transparent to opaque in nature.

Buff titanium is primarily used as a coloring pigment (neutral tones) in figurative and landscape paintings to make them more visually appealing and give them a matte finish.

Uses 1
Uses of Titanium compounds

Conclusion

Titanium is a strong, lightweight metal known for its high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion-resistant qualities. It has a relatively low density of 4.5 g/cm3. It has five stable isotopes and two allotropic forms in nature. It is also resistant to most organic acids such as dilute hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.