7. Applications

The electrical and electronics industries are major consumers of molybdenum. Wires, ribbons and cups made of molybdenum, molybdenum-lanthanum and molybdenum-yttrium are used in lighting; Mo-Y is used to seal quartz glass for discharge and halogen lamps, for example. Electronics use pure molybdenum or Mo-Cu composites (sintered molybdenum skeleton infiltrated with copper) as thermal drains . High-definition television uses small, high-purity molybdenum tubes. Powdered metal compounds of Mo, Ag and Cu are often used for electrical contacts (hardness and good conductivity). Medical diagnostic equipment also uses anodes for X-ray systems or cathode parts.