Niobium is a highly corrosion-resistant metal that is commonly used in chemical processing and pharmaceutical equipment. Although not as corrosion resistant as tantalum, it is often considered for use at lower temperatures because of its lower cost compared with tantalum. Also, the density of niobium is about half that of tantalum.

The corrosion resistance of niobium results from the passive, amorphous oxide film that forms at atmospheric conditions. This film forms spontaneously at the surface of the metal and acts as a protective barrier to many salt solutions and acids.

Niobium and its alloys are commonly used as superconducting materials for applications in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), energy storage devices, levitation trains and particle accelerators. Niobium has replaced copper for cells in electron accelerators because of lower energy losses that are directly related to its superconductivity and lower thermal resistance. 

The alloys of niobium, Nb7.5Ta (7.5% Ta) and Nb47Ti (47% Ti), are two compositions that are successively extruded and encased in copper to generate multi-filament bundles in superconducting wire. Often, as many as 20,000 filaments are gathered in a wire.