Cobalt Can Do More than Just Powering Your Smartphone

Cobalt Can Do More than Just Powering Your Smartphone

If you read this blog on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, you are benefiting from cobalt.

You may ask what is cobalt? Why do mobile phones, tablets, etc. contain it? What's the use of it?

If you read this blog on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, you are benefiting from cobalt.

Cobalt properties

Cobalt properties

Other uses of cobalt

Physical and chemical properties of cobalt

Cobalt, element symbol Co, atomic number 27, atomic weight 58.9332, close-packed hexagonal crystal, located in the 4th period, group VIII in the periodic table, the common valence is +2, +3.

Cobalt metal is hard, brittle, and ferromagnetic. The magnetism disappears when heated to 1150°C. It does not interact with water at room temperature. It is oxidized to produce CoO when heated to 300°C or higher in the air and burns to Co 3 O 4 in white heat. Its melting point is 1,495°C.

Cobalt and Lithium Batteries

When metal lithium is first used in the negative electrode of the battery, lithium dendrites and other problems will be generated during the charging process, which reduces the safety of the lithium battery. Lithium cobaltate improves this. Lithium cobalt oxide batteries came into being and are widely used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries in mobile phones, notebook computers and other portable electronic devices.

Without cobalt, lithium batteries may not soon be widely used in all corners of life.

Other uses of cobalt

Cobalt pigments

Cobalt as a pigment mainly includes cobalt blue pigment and cobalt violet pigment.

Cobalt Blue Pigment

Cobalt has been used to create stunning blue glass and ceramic glazes for centuries. In the Middle Ages, Venetian glass artisans used cobalt blue pigment to create a variety of delicate blue glasses. The glaze of Chinese cloisonne also contains cobalt.

Cobalt Violet Pigment

The cobalt violet pigment used for the decoration of ceramics, glass and other products is cobalt phosphate, the chemical formula is Co3(PO4)2, it is blue-purple, and it is synthesized by the dry solid phase. If part of the lithium compound is used to replace the cobalt compound, it can be made into lithium cobalt phosphate, that is, CoLiPO4 purple pigment.

Cobalt used in the medical industry

Cobalt is also widely used in the medical field.

Cobalt radioisotope Co-60 can treat skin diseases and malignant tumors.

Adding an appropriate amount of cobalt to penicillin can improve its efficacy.

In vitamin B12 (alias cobalamin), which has special effects on hematopoiesis, the cobalt content is as high as 4.5%.

In addition, cobalt alloy-UHMWPE prostheses are widely used artificial joint materials.

Cobalt used as magnetic material

Cobalt is one of the few metals that retains its magnetic properties once magnetized and disappears when heated to 1150°C. Due to the superior magnetic properties of cobalt, it is widely used in the manufacture of high-performance magnetic materials.

Cobalt used in carbide and Superalloy

Cemented carbide containing a certain amount of cobalt has a series of excellent properties such as high hardness, wear resistance, heat resistance and corrosion resistance, so it is widely used to make cutter tool materials, such as turning tools, milling cutters, planers, drills, boring tools, etc.

These cutter tool materials are suitable for cutting cast iron, non-ferrous metals, plastics, chemical fibers, graphite, glass, stone and ordinary steel, and can also be used for cutting heat-resistant steel, stainless steel, high manganese steel, tool steel and other difficult-to-machine materials.

When the temperature is above 1038°C, the advantages of cobalt-based alloys in wear resistance, corrosion resistance and heat resistance make them suitable for making high-efficiency high-temperature engines and steam turbines. Therefore, cobalt-based alloys are widely used in aerospace.

Cobalt not only ensures the safety and stability of mobile phones, tablets and computer batteries but also makes a lot of contributions to our health and convenient life.

After understanding the basic properties and wide-ranging uses of cobalt, did a new set of questions arise? For example, how does cobalt exist in nature? Where can I find cobalt ore? How to process cobalt ore?

Blog Cobalt Mining and Processing in Congo helps you learn more about it.

Lovers of beautiful and exotic minerals.