Element · Layer 0, Atomic number 42
Molybdenum
A hard, high-melting metal used to strengthen steel and, in displays, as a thin barrier layer in thin-film transistors.
Also called moly
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About
Molybdenum is a silvery metal with one of the highest melting points of any element, about 2,620 °C. Its main ore, molybdenite, looks so much like graphite and lead ore that they were long confused, and its name comes from the Greek for lead. Carl Wilhelm Scheele identified it in 1778. China, Chile and the United States are the main producers.
Most molybdenum strengthens steel, especially stainless and heat-resistant grades. In the television, a thin molybdenum layer in each thin-film transistor acts as a barrier that keeps the copper wiring from spreading into the silicon and glass around it.
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