cobalt aluminum is an important material used in a wide range of applications. It is particularly useful in wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant, magnetic and high-temperature alloys. Cobalt-base alloys are often compared to nickel-base heat-resistant materials, such as nickel-chromium and nickel-iron alloys. However, the major advantage of cobalt-based alloys is their ability to retain their strength at temperatures higher than those of nickel-chromium and nickel-iron.
Cobalt-base alloys are also employed in a variety of high-temperature applications, including sulfidation resistance and high-temperature tensile strength. The wrought cobalt-nickel-chromium-molybdenum and molybdenum-cobalt-tungsten Stellite alloys are especially robust, due to their relatively low carbon content and homogenous microstructure. The sturdiness of these wrought alloys can be enhanced further by incorporating tungsten, which improves the resistance to abrasion and cracking.
In abrasion, the abrasion resistance of alloys depends on the size and composition of the hard phase precipitate that forms in the microstructure during solidification. The amount of the hard phase, its distribution within the microstructure and the abrading species all contribute to abrasion resistance. In the case of Stellite alloys, the abrasion resistance increases with increasing volume percent of the hard phase.
Cobalt-aluminum oxides are important in lithium ion batteries. They are used as active materials on the positive pole (which becomes the cathode when the battery is discharged). The cations of cobalt, nickel and aluminum are used to form these oxides, which can have the general formula LiNixCoyAlzO. Depending on the specific formula, these compounds have different electrical properties and can be synthesized through various processes.