Talking about the ninth most abundant element on Earth, a strong metal that is used in a wide variety of applications, industries, and trades, titanium is known for its chemical properties. From spacecraft, missiles to surgical instruments and sports gears, Titanium is a versatile metal element, and therefore, learning about its properties is important and beneficial for all.
No matter which industry you belong to, the least you should know about the metal is the thermal conductivity. Is Titanium a poor conductor of heat, or it proves to be a good conductor? This is what we are going to find out here.
Stick to the article and read it till the end so that you can decide where the use of titanium is beneficial and where it should not be used concerning heat conductivity.
What is titanium?
At room temperature and pressure, you will find the Titanium as a shiny, strong, and hard silver metal. The most prominent feature of this element is the resistivity to corrosion it offers, which makes it viable to use for a wide range of applications. In the form of metal, it is considered non-toxic. Whereas, in the form of oxide, it is hazardous.
Talking about its placement in the periodic table, it is the first element in the transition metal group. Found naturally, the titanium forms an oxide layer when it comes in contact with air that averts further reaction from happening.
What makes an element a good conductor?
To identify if Titanium is a poor conductor of heat or not, you need to see what makes any element or an object a good conductor.
It is the free movement of electrons in an object that allows the heat or electricity to pass through. The more freely electrons can move, the more conductivity the object will have. The better the material can transfer heat, the better it can conduct.
Generally, most metals are good conductors because electrons in their outer shell can move more freely than any other element. However, each metal element has distinct properties, and therefore, their conductivity rates differ from each other.
Is titanium a good conductor of heat?
To determine the heat conductivity of any metal, it is crucial that you know about its melting and boiling point. Given that, the melting point of titanium is 1670 °C, and the boiling point of this element is 3287 °C.
Typically, all of the transition metals conduct heat, but keeping in mind the boiling and melting point and considering the arrangement of electrons in the outermost shell of Titanium, it is a poor conductor of heat.
Moreover, titanium is used in applications where it is not required to have good heat conductivity. As mentioned earlier, it is mostly used for its strength, ability to stand higher temperatures, and for its corrosion resistance feature.
For applications where you need elements with good heat conduction, you can use metals such as silver, tungsten, or graphite.
Besides heat, titanium is a relatively poor conductor of electricity as well and is, therefore, not used for applications that require electrical conductivity. In this case, aluminum and copper provide a more reliable solution.
When compared with other metals in terms of heat conductivity, lead turns out to be the least conductor, and titanium is much better in contrast. So, the heat conductivity is different with each element’s properties and characteristics.
Conclusion
A metal’s ability to conduct heat is very important when it comes to different industries. Though Titanium is a poor conductor of heat, this makes it a perfect element to be used in various applications. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance aspect of this element is the top-selling point that also makes it unique and valuable. Other than that, durability, strength, and lightweight features are not to be ignored as well.